The Goblin Queen
by moonston3
Summary: JarethxSarah Jareth returns to Sarah after three years, offering her return to the Labyrinth. Lemon at the end.
1. Chapter 1

It had been three years since the Goblin King had whisked her away to his Labyrinth.

Sarah sighed, stretched, and rolled out of the warmth of her bed. Glancing around her still childish room, her face flickered with obvious disappointment.

_I really am never going to be able to return_, she thought; _there really is no point in hoping day after day_. Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus had promised to come when she called, but they hadn't visited for some time. Sarah pushed back horrible thoughts at the back of her mind that time moves slower in the Labyrinth, and maybe they'd just grown old...

Sarah didn't need any more deaths of loved ones. Her father and stepmother had died in a huge car accident right before Sarah's eyes, and the grotesque images would most likely haunt her nightmares for the rest of her life. All she had left was Toby, but he had been adopted by his mother's sister. Sarah wasn't wanted, she wasn't a blood relative.

Since Sarah was sixteen at the time, she had put on a brave face and decided to live by herself, only because it seemed better for everyone if she hadn't made a fuss. She secretly wished every night to be transported back to that place, that _magical_ place, a place where she felt she belonged.

Yet, for two years she had felt completely and utterly alone. A loner at school, teased for being "away with the fairies" and scoffed at by the mythology teacher, whom she had asked questions about the Goblin realm, Sarah had no one. Not even Toby bothered to keep in contact with her anymore, although he would only be four it would have still been nice to hear from him. It would have been nice to hear from anyone, for that matter.

It was a Saturday, and according to the weather forecast it was meant to be bright and cheerful. However, once Sarah pulled open her curtains, the black, threatening clouds rumbling through the sky told a different story. As water drops started to splatter her window, Sarah made herself comfortable by the windowsill to watch, tucking her legs up and wrapping her arms around them. She loved storms.

Suddenly, just as she began to relax, a huge crack of lightning bolted through the sky, almost blinding her. Sarah jumped and gave a little shriek, it had been so close to the window that she could have almost reached out and touched it.

As Sarah tried to calm herself down, the room - although her window was shut - became like that of a small hurricane; strong gusts of air whipped all around, knocking things from shelves and off her desk. Sarah's long brown curls swirled around her face, and her eyes squinted shut as the room was suddenly glowed with an incredibly bright, white light. The wind slowly died down, and the light slowly dimmed.

"Hello, precious." A familiar voice taunted from behind her.

"It's you!" Sarah exclaimed, not needing turn around reassure herself.

"I see you've grown into quite the young lady." The Goblin King approved, circling her. Sarah held in a gasp as she laid eyes on him hardly being able to believe this was real. Three long years of wishing for this very moment to happen, to be able to return to her fantasy realm, her hopes and dreams were coming true.

She took in what he looked like. His straw-blonde hair had grown longer, and was attractively messy due to the wind. He was clad in a white V-neck shirt, tucked into his signature tight trousers and black pointed boots. He was wearing his crescent moon pendant, and over his shoulders was a long black cape made from hundreds or black feathers woven together that brushed the floor. It looked heavy, but it didn't seem to affect his graceful, catlike stroll at all.

"Why are you here?" Sarah gulped accusingly, her heart rate steadily increasing. She felt exhilarated and dizzy, as if she were about to faint.

"To whisk you away, once again, of course. I heard your wishes, my precious, 'oh, I wish the Goblin King would take me away from here!' well, here I am." He laughed at her shocked reaction, a real, throaty laugh that caused Sarah's heart to stop.

"But why now, after all this time? Why didn't you come before, why did you leave me?" Sarah protested, a slimy feeling of fear crawling up her neck, and tears forming in her eyes, threatening to overflow.

"You are now eighteen years old, I believe? An adult by the standards of your world. There is only one way for you to return to my realm, and that is for you to become my wife; my Goblin Queen." He smirked at her provocably and stopped circling her, only to hop onto her flowery bed, cross his legs and lie back on his arms. "Of course, you're a little minx so I don't expect you to come quietly." He said this without interest, looking at his nails as he did so, and tilting his head.

"W-what!" Sarah sputtered, a furious blush searing across her cheeks. "You can't be serious!"

"I'm afraid I'm quite serious my dear, and _please _don't look so forlorn about it. Many women would leap at the chance to be with me." A teasing smirk caused Sarah's frustration to explode.

"_You're so disgustingly arrogant!"_ Hot, furious words burst from her lips.

"Is that a no? You don't wish to return? Well, if you're sure…" The Goblin King stood up and made to leave through the window.

"Wait" Sarah muttered under her breath. "Not so fast, Goblin King." he smirked, as she had reacted exactly as he had predicted her to. He licked his lips seductively, and turned to her.

"You will return to my realm as my wife-to-be. I will not force marriage on you until you fall for me, but I demand a kiss every day. You will be my Queen one day, Sarah." He announced these rules with a look of complete seriousness on his face, as if he had been practising these lines as if this were an important scene in a play.

"I will never fall for you." Sarah proclaimed, sticking her chin out, making a mental promise to herself to make sure these words would stay true.

"If that be so, then we shall never marry." The Goblin King sighed. He strode over to her and cupped her chin in his gloved hand and looked her dead in the eye. "But I do assure you, my dear. You _will_ fall for me." They glowered at each other for what seemed like hours, for neither one wanted to give in and blink. It was like a stare-off between cats.

Sarah had to give in. As soon as she re-opened her eyes, The Goblin King was nowhere to be seen.


	2. Chapter 2

"Where are you, Goblin King?" Sarah screamed in a panic. Not now, he _couldn't_ leave after that, could he?

"Oh please, do relax, won't you. I'm right here." He stepped out from behind her, looking rather exasperated and wrapped a strong arm around her slender waist.

"You did that on purpose." Sarah pouted, trying to hide the relief in her voice and attempting in vain to wriggle out of his grasp, although the feeling of him against her caused her heart to skip a beat.

"I assure you I have no idea what you're talking about." The Goblin King raised his eyebrows sarcastically, pulling her closer. "Now, do hold on tight."

"Where are we-" Before Sarah even had time to finish her sentence, everything went black and the world felt it was all pressing in on her. She grabbed her stomach as a reaction to the sudden queasiness, and when her eyes had readjusted, she saw the Goblin Kingdom. She stood on the same orange, sandy hill she had when she had first ever set foot in this realm, yet this time she had its ruler escorting her.

Realising her waist was still encircled by his arm, she blushed deeply and stepped away. She could feel his teasing eyes on her, and she tried her hardest to pretend not to notice.

"Since you are my Queen-to-be, I find it highly appropriate for you to call me by my given name, Jareth." The Goblin King said, giving her his trademark lopsided grin, and winking at her when she glanced at him.

"I will _never_ call you that! To me you're nothing but a kidnapping, cheating, lying-"

"When have I ever lied to you?" Jareth snapped, gliding over to her and putting his face close up to hers. "Never." He spat forcefully, anger flashing in his eyes. "I may be many things, Sarah. But I am not a liar. You should do well to remember that." Sarah was shocked by his sudden change in mood. It was a completely different side to him, like a different person entirely. Part of her wanted to scream at him and tell him not to talk to her like that. But, there was a gnawing feeling of guilt inside her chest. She felt terrible, she couldn't remember a single time where Jareth had lied to her, and she had clearly hurt his feelings.

"Jar-Ur, Goblin King. I'm sorry. You're not a liar." Sarah mumbled, trying not to reveal how sorry she really was. She heard a sigh, then Jareth turned, his usual smirk back to it's former glory. He swept her up in his arms in a princess-hold, and walked towards the Labyrinth that encircled the Goblin city and Castle. "What are you doing!" Sarah protested. "Put me down!"

"Just a quick walk to the castle." Jareth said, giving her his trademark lopsided grin.

"Quick! We have to go through the whole Labyrinth, first!" Sarah struggled pathetically against his arms, Jareth simply continuing to walk as if he hadn't noticed.

"My dear, it's _my_ Labyrinth, and you should know by now… things aren't always as they seem." As if by magic, as Jareth walked towards the walls of the formidable Labyrinth, the crumbling brickwork seemed to melt away like ice cream on a hot summer's day, leaving a clear pathway to the castle. After ten minutes of Sarah muttering rude remarks and struggling to escape, and Jareth laughing mockingly at her, they arrived. As soon as Sarah was stood on solid ground, she turned to Jareth in a fury and pushed him as hard as she could, which, admittedly, wasn't very hard at all. Jareth merely blinked at her in surprise.

"WHAT" she exploded. "ARE YOU DOING?"

"Why, transporting my fiancé to our home." Jareth purred, taking a step closer and twisting a lock of her chocolate curls around his firnger. He loved teasing her, as he found her reaction rather entertaining.

"I am NOT your fiancé, you haven't proposed or anything and I wouldn't accept a crappy one anyway. And ESPECIALLY not from you! You're so arrogant and rude and couldn't care less about me. I'm only here with you because I wanted to return to this world." Sarah growled. Jareth tutted, leaning against a leafless tree that definitely wasn't there a second ago.

"My dear, my dear, I assure you that my proposal to you will be more than… acceptable. And of course I care. Why on earth would I be willing to make you my Queen if I wasn't completely head over heels in love with you? Now, shall we go in, or are you not done with your temper tantrum?" Jareth raised one eyebrow.

Sarah's eyes widened in shock. Had he really just said that to her, had he just admit he... loved her? She glanced up at Jareth, trying to determine whether or not he was being serious or just toying with her.

Jareth almost instantly regretted the words as soon as they left his lips. She hadn't fallen yet, and she wasn't ready to hear his confession. But although she was just a stupid girl, she should have figured it out by now. He had said to her in their first meeting: _"fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave"_, which in his eyes was as clear a confession as _he_ would have needed to hear.

_Humans_, he thought to himself in annoyance._ They need everything spelling out for them_.

Sarah opened her lips as if she were about to say something, but then closed them tightly. She had no idea how to reply to that, so she simply averted her gaze, and when Jareth motioned at her to, followed him inside the castle.


	3. Chapter 3

The castle had completely changed.

Everything that once was creepy and dirty and covered in goblin muck, was now scrubbed spotless and made cosy, almost like a home. Most of the walls were painted cream, with floors made from brown stone. Sarah could see that the windows, now clean, were mostly stained glass with heavy red curtains draped around them. The rooms were lit by candlelight, simple chandeliers draping from the ceiling and some attached to the walls. There was a roaring fireplace with a large pile of freshly chopped wood next to it, instantly making the room homely and inviting. The high ceiling had beautiful paintings of the sky on them, and the clouds almost seemed to move if you stared too long.

Sarah couldn't stop her gasp slipping through her lips.

"I knew you'd like it." Jareth smirked, kicking back on his throne. Sarah tried not to notice the new, slightly smaller one that sat slightly intimidatingly beside him.

"Of course I do. It's wonderful" she admitted reluctantly, a little smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

"I had it made especially for your tastes, mixed in with mine, of course. Your chambers are even better, although I do hope you'll be moving into mine soon." Jareth gloated proudly; he'd obviously been waiting for a chance to show off.

"Wow…" Sarah whispered, twirling around, taking everything in. "Although, I won't be moving into your chambers… thank you." She smiled at Jareth, a proper smile that reached her eyes. Jareth felt his heart skip a beat, and a warmth fill the pit of his belly.

"Anyway," he quickly said. "I'll have someone take you to your room. _**MOFROG**_!" Sarah jumped in surprise at his sudden exclamation, causing Jareth to chuckle at her, and a rather obese goblin wobbled, panting, into the room. "Mofrog, take Sarah to her chambers, it's the room down the hall from mine."

"Yeth thir" the goblin lisped, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. He beckoned at Sarah with his chubby hands to follow him, bowing continuously at his master, almost falling over his own feet as he did so.

Jareth hated to watch Sarah walk away from him. It caused his heart to feel what couldn't be a healthy pang, so he turned and looked out of a window, his back to her receding figure. Sighing, his brow furrowed. The more time he spent with her, the more he fell irrevocably in love. Each time he thought to himself that he couldn't _possibly_ fall any further, but every time his pounding heart proved him more and more thoroughly wrong.

Mofrog led Sarah out of the throne room, and up three long winding staircases. Sarah tried to count the steps, but she had to give up once she reached the two hundreds. Many beautiful paintings and tapestries framed the walls, adding class to the newly gorgeous design of Sarah's new home. They eventually reached a small corridor right at the highest point of the castle. At the end was a huge window that opened up to a sheltered balcony, overlooking the Labyrinth and the Goblin city. Beyond that were acres and acres of lush green forest, and what looked like a large pond. It truly was a gorgeous view, Sarah could see for miles and miles, and she could imagine spending a good few hours sitting in the sun, reading a book.

There was a old, wooden door on each side on the corridor.

"Thith one'th yourth" coughed Mofrog, not bothering to cover his mouth with his hand, pointing at the one on the right with a wrinkly, sharp-nailed. sausage finger. He then scuttled off, as fast as he could, although Sarah could have easily caught him up at her walking pace.

"Thank you!" She called after him as an afterthought, hoping her heard. She turned to face the door opposite hers. "That means his room is here…" she her cheeks flushed and her heart sped up as she accidentally imagined Jareth's sleeping face. She righted herself, shaking her head and then quickly let herself into her room.


	4. Chapter 4

It was more than just a room. It was huge, shaped like a semi-circle, almost as large as the throne room, with sloping ceilings with wooden beams across and a huge window on the sloping part so you could see the stars twinkling down at you at night. The floor was also bare stone, but it had a sweet woven rug thrown across it that was soft underneath Sarah's toes. The bed was a large four-poster, with white lace curtains framing it elegantly. The covers and pillows looked incredibly soft and inviting, and Sarah swore to try them out as soon as she had finished looking around. Many bookcases filled the walls, books stacked all over them. They all had strange, alluring titles like "Guide to controlling weather" and "Magic: beginners", but the shelf Sarah was most drawn to was one that was brimming with books about fairy tales and myths. Across from the bed were two more doors. One was a small, neat bathroom. The bath was round, with seven different taps of different colours, which were the only things that weren't different shades of blue and turquoise. There was a small mirror above the sink, Sarah quickly used it to flatten her hair down. She hoped Jareth hadn't noticed how messy it was.

The other door was a wardrobe, spilling with beautiful gowns and dresses. Sarah suddenly went bright red, remembering she was wearing nothing but a shirt, since that was all she wore to bed. Silently thanking Jareth, she gratefully picked out a simple green that came just above the knee, and found a dresser contained underwear and shoes. She pulled on the dress and clean undergarments, deciding to stay barefoot for now. A concealed chute was discreetly labelled "washing" which Sarah thought was handy, yet she couldn't imagine Jareth separating the whites from the colours. She guessed he had the goblins do it, they seemed eager to do anything at his beck and call.

Just as Sarah was about to settle down for a rest, there was a knock at the door. It was Mofrog again, panting and sweating buckets.

"King Jareth athkth you to join him for dinner, he thaid to dreth nithe" he wheezed, a little dribble tricking from his mouth. Sarah felt sorry for him, having to tear up and down all those staircases, running around for Jareth. "He thaid he'll come and collect you to take you to the dining hall" Sarah thanked him and closed the door.

_Crap._ Her mind filled with panic. _What should I wear? What would Jareth like? No, I don't care what he thinks..._

Not pausing to think, Sarah ripped open the wardrobe and rifled through it. She found a floor length, dark blue dress with long, flowing sleeves. It was lovely, it looked like the night sky just after the sun had set, and as the skirt moved it looked like millions of stars where glittering in the light. She yanked it on, and pulled on some black heels, after remembering how tall Jareth was compared to her. Not that it mattered. Or that she cared, or anything.

She found some make up in a drawer and subconsciously patted a little on, just enough to make her skin look nice and make her eyelashes seem long and alluring.

"Why am I bothering?" she muttered to herself as she brushed her hair, trying to make it wavy. "It's only him." A bubbly feeling of excitement began to course through her veins, and a broad grin spread across her lips. She kicked her legs to let out some extra energy and tried to calm down, in an effort to rid her cheeks of the redness they had once again acquired.

A brisk knock at the door caused Sarah to jump, and her heart to stop. _I hope he thinks I look okay_, she thought, biting her lip. She hesitantly opened the door, and her eyes widened.

Jareth had obviously made an effort. His usually messy hair was put back in a low pony tail, a few strands falling loosely over his mismatched eyes, that gleamed with mischief. He was wearing a dark blue shirt with lace around the collar, with tight black trousers and grey lace up shoes. He smelled of peaches and cream, a smell that drew Sarah in against her will.

Jareth also thought Sarah looked lovely. He took in her chocolate hair, loosely waved past her shoulders to below her chest. His eyes skimmed over her emerald eyes and rosy cheeks, down her slim figure, wrapped in navy.

_Absolutely beautiful. _He shook himself out of his slight trance, and offered Sarah a white rose. She giggled quietly as he placed it in her hair. _Please, let her fall for me soon._


	5. Chapter 5

"My lady." He smirked, righting himself, and bowing deeply. Sarah felt her cheeks turn red at his sudden formality, and attempted a curtsey. Jareth threw back his head and laughed as she wobbled and almost fell and offered her his arm for balance, and, after eyeing it suspiciously, Sarah took it and let Jareth lead her to the hall.

Yet again, it was another massive room. The tables were pushed to the sides, though, which confused Sarah. Where would they eat? Sarah glanced at Jareth, who was smirking, obviously noticing her confusion.

He led her to a door similar to those that led to their rooms at the back of the hall, which opened to a small, round room with a window overlooking a dense forest. It was very dark, but at a click of Jareth's long fingers, about twenty candles that were placed around the room flickered to life and it was filled with a gentle light. There was a small table in the middle of the room and two chairs. Jareth pulled out Sarah's chair for her, and then sat down himself.

"I hate the main hall. It's so loud and unfriendly. I mostly use it to host balls." He explained uninterestedly. Sarah merely nodded, secretly grateful that the light was only weak, so Jareth wouldn't be able to see her cheeks flush. She wasn't used to him being such a gentleman. Music was softly playing in the background, and Sarah knew she had heard that song before, somewhere…

Then she remembered. It was the music from when she had danced with Jareth three years ago. She could feel his arms around her still, as if that dance had never ended. Her face felt so hot she feared it may explode. She looked curiously at Jareth, who hadn't seemed to notice her sudden recollection.

"Drink?" offered Jareth.

"Please," Sarah replied, desperate for something to cool her down. She sipped gratefully, her eyes widening at the taste. "What is this?"

"There isn't a name for it in English. I suppose it would be…. Champagne? Something similar to that, anyway. It's peach flavoured, I thought you might appreciate the irony. It's my personal favourite." He smirked at her as she finished her glass, and automatically poured her another one. She thanked him, and he replied: "Best to go steady, precious one, it may be delicious but it's still alcoholic."

They dined on all sorts of food that Sarah had never heard of or tried before, Jareth seemingly wanting to find out her taste in it. It turned out that they had many similar likes and dislikes when it came to food, a fact that seemed to entertain Jareth very much. However, Sarah seemed to like the drink a little too much. Although Jareth wasn't complaining at the fact Sarah was being giggly and chatty, he didn't want her to embarrass herself, more for the fact she would be furious with him the next day than wanting to protect her dignity.

"Jareth" Sarah demanded sulkily. He had been thinking and not paying attention.

"Yes Sarah, what is it?" he replied, smiling with victory at the fact she had finally called him by his name.

"I won't fall for you."

"… You already told me." Jareth's voice went colder, his eyes narrowing, the laughter in them gone. Even when she had this much to drink, she still was determined that she could never love him? Maybe this was hopeless; maybe she could never love-

"Because I already have." Sarah squinted at him and pursed her lips as if she was sulking. "And I don't want to. I hate you. You're selfish and annoying and pig-headed." Jareth's head whipped up at her words, his heart seeming to set on fire. She looked deadly serious, albeit a little woozy and slightly annoyed.

"You… already have?" He said it slowly, looking her dead in her glistening emerald eyes, giving her an opportunity to to take it back if she needed to. Sarah just glared at him angrily and then stood up, as if she was going to leave. She wobbled slightly, and went to fall. Jareth shot out of his seat and grabbed her before she could hit the floor. "Asleep?" He smiled lovingly at her and softly caressed her cheek. Carefully scooping her up in his arms, he carried her to her room and slipped off her shoes and dress. Although tempted, he averted his eyes and tucked her under the covers, and after a heartfelt kiss on the forehead, left the room.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day, Sarah woke up in what seemed to be a sea of clouds. It was airy, light and so comfy, but when she sat up, she saw it was her new bed. She grinned and squealed, it was real, she hadn't imagined it! Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a piece of paper on the small table next to her bed. She opened it up, and in swooping, elegant handwriting, it said:

"You owe me yesterday's kiss. I'll be waiting."

Sarah turned a bright shade of red and crumpled the note and flung it at the floor. No way was she going to kiss that jerk! She jumped out of bed to bath and get dressed, swooning slightly due to last night's alcohol, only to notice she was only wearing her underwear.

Sarah began to panic, thinking _what actually happened last night?_ And without thinking, she tore out of her room and slammed into Jareth's.

He had obviously just woken up himself, since he was completely naked other than a pair of tight black boxers. He was facing away from her, towards the window. He heard her come in, and turned around, to see Sarah running at him.

"Sarah my precious, as lovely as it is to see you running at me in your undergarments, I-" He was interrupted by Sarah hitting him on his bare chest. To his horror, big, fat tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"What did you do to me, you disgusting pervert! I don't care if I was drunk! I've never done it before!" Jareth grabbed her hands and looked her dead in her sparkling, swimming pools of eyes.

"Sarah, what are you talking about? Done what before?" he said seriously, his voice filled with genuine concern.

"IT." Sarah barely managed to say, shaking and coughing due to crying so hard. Realization sprung into Jareth's eyes. He bent down so his eyes were at the same height as hers, and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Nothing happened last night." He said, slowly and clearly.

"I w-woke up in my underwear," Sarah choked.

"I took off your dress because I thought it'd be more comfortable for you to sleep. Do you really think that lowly of me, Sarah? I'd never force you to do anything like that." Jareth seemed annoyed now. He turned away from her and pulled a shirt on. "Go get dressed." Sarah stared at him. How could he go from so caring, to this? Moody, insensitive… She could feel more tears welling up in her eyes. A small sob escaped from her lips. In shock, Sarah slapped her hands to her mouth, to stop more from coming.

Jareth whipped around to her in surprise. He hadn't meant to make her cry again. He hugged her to his chest, and rocked her.

"Sarah, I'm sorry for getting angry. I just wish you didn't think so lowly of me. I'm not the monster you think I am." He kissed the top of her head, whilst stroking her warm brown hair.

Gradually, Sarah's crying subsided. Seemingly to only then notice the situation, Sarah pulled away from him and gave him a little smile.

"Sorry, Jareth." She giggled lightly. "I know you wouldn't have done that… I know you're not a monster." Jareth grinned at her, incredibly please that she had finally called him by his name, while sober. He gave a cough, reminding Sarah she was still in her bra and knickers. Sarah went pink and ran out of the room.

"Nice to know you're a virgin though, sweetheart!" Jareth called after her. Sarah responded with an almighty slam of her door.


	7. Chapter 7

Sarah collapsed onto the bed, shaking.

Of course she had thought he had done something awful to her. It was _him_, after all. He was the one who had stolen away her brother, and almost gotten away with it. He was the one who had cheated by drugging her with a peach; he was the one who had tried to tempt her with her dreams. She hated him for what he'd done. She was shocked at herself for almost forgetting.

Yet, a part of her almost thought that… maybe… he had changed.

Sarah shook her head forcefully.

No. Of course he hadn't changed. He just wanted something from her, obviously. He was simply tricking her again. Why else would he act so nicely towards her, acting like a gentleman and treating her like… well, like a princess?

_And you know what princess' become… _The thought flashed across Sarah's mind before she could stop it. _No_. _I won't let myself fall for him. Not after everything he's put me through._

Sarah had a quick bath. She found that out of each tap, water the colour of it would come out. Each had its own scent. Pink was strawberries, blue was blueberries… it was like bathing in a fruit salad. After she had washed, she pulled on a simple dress and went to face herself in the mirror.

_Today, I will demand to see Ludo, Sir Didymus, and of course Hoggle. _She told herself firmly, patting her cheeks lightly to wake herself up.

There was a knocking at the door.

Sarah opened it, and was disappointed to see it was Mofrog. She had been psyching herself up to shout at Jareth to allow her to see her friends.

"Yes?" She asked, trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice.

"King Jareth thayth to join him for breakfatht," Sarah sighed and followed Mofrog all the way back to where Jareth and her had dined last night.

He was already there, waiting for her. Wearing a frilly black top and tight black trousers, he looked ever so much the dark King. He turned to face her, and flashed her a lopsided smirk.

"I want to see my friends." Sarah stated clearly. Jareth's smile faded. He leaned against the wall, and scowled at her.

"You'd rather play with a dwarf, a yeti and a fox than dine with a king? Now, now, Sarah, you're not a child anymore." He conjured three crystals out of nowhere, and because to twist and turn then in the palm of his hand. Sarah couldn't help but be entranced. How did he _do_ that?

"Yes. Ur, no, well, that is to say, I miss them and I want to see them. Right now." She replied, snapping her eyes from his hand to his eyes, glaring at him. Jareth sighed and rolled his eyes. Without a word, he took her by the arm and before Sarah had a chance to blink, they were just outside his Labyrinth. Jareth looked sadly at her.

"Don't get angry." Then, he disappeared. Leaving Sarah utterly confused. What did she have to get angry about? Pushing Jareth to the back of her mind, she glanced around, a smile creeping across her face. Her look of happiness soon turned to disgust as she saw Hoggle, peeing, like when she had first ever set eyes on him.

"HOGGLE!" She exclaimed, waiting for him to make himself decent before running to him. Tears of joy filled her eyes, after not seeing him for three years, it felt like coming home. He hadn't changed a bit, maybe his nose was a little larger, but other than that, it was _him_. Her first ever friend in this world. Hoggle looked completely startled.

"Sarah? Is it really you? I thought you's were dead?" Hoggle replied suspiciously. Sarah froze, and pulled away.

"What did you say?"

"Jareth said you's were dead, and we weren't to bother you no more." Hoggle crossed him arms. "If this is a trick then I ain't fallin' for it." He pottered away from her, whipped out his special spray and venomously attacked an unsuspecting fairy, leaping into the air with glee whilst yelling "four hundred and two!" as it fell to the ground. Sarah nervously followed him.

"Hoggle? It really is me. I'm not dead, I don't know what that stupid Goblin King said but it's not true." Hoggle turned slowly to face her.

"It's really you? You ain't some hocus pocus of Jareth's?" Sarah shook her head and smiled, blinking hard against unwelcome tears. Hoggle threw up his special spray and hugged her tightly, his head only coming up to her waist. "Oh Sarah, we've all missed you so much!" Sarah felt something wet on her tummy.

"You're not crying are you, Hoggle? Not a brave man like you?" she laughed.

"Of course I isn't crying, the spray's in me' eye." Was his gruff response. Sarah giggled. It was like she never left.

"Where's Ludo and Sir Didymus?"

"Ludo's livin' with that crazy fox next to the bog of eternal stench. Jareth gave 'im a mask so he could stand it. I ain't going down there lookin' for 'em if that's what you expect. No way." After some pleading and bribing with a silver bracelet she happened to have on, Hoggle reluctantly agreed to accompany her.

"So which way is it?" Sarah asked excitedly.

Suddenly, a jolt under her feet knocked her over. She glanced up over at Hoggle, who was on his knees too. Before she could ask him what that was, the ground shook with an awful amount of force and in the distance, behind the desert and the forest and the pond, the sky was fading to black.

"Oooohhhh nooooo this isn't good!" Hoggle moaned. "I knew you's coming back was trouble!"

"HOGGLE!" Sarah said in protest. She was about to say something else when Jareth appeared out of nowhere. He took one look at the scene, went pale white, grabbed Sarah by the hand and Hoggle by the neck, and transported them out of there.


	8. Chapter 8

Sarah opened her eyes, which she had squeezed tightly shut as soon as Jareth's fingers had touched hers. She had no Idea where they were.

Surrounding her were strange, unidentifiable plants of all shapes, colours and sizes. Some were so tall the seemed to touch the clouds, and others didn't even reach Sarah's waist.

The ground was covered in flowers, which smelt intoxicatingly beautiful, and every so often they would quiver and make a "hushhush" sound, as if they were whispering. A few meters away was a stream, twinkling in the sunlight that stretched though the dense leaves of the taller trees, with rainbow coloured fish dancing in the ripples. On nearly all of the tree's trunks were strange mushrooms, similar to the ones in pictures that Sarah had seen in her fairy stories. It was like an illustration of a magical forest, and Sarah thought it was the definition of beautiful.

"What's going on?" Grumbled Hoggle, pulling himself up from the ground and dusting himself down. Clearly Jareth hadn't been so careful about how Hoggle had landed as he had with Sarah.

Jareth stepped out from behind a tree. He looked furious, scared and confused at the same time, the multiple emotions causing his eyebrows to furrow together and his cheeks to gently suck in.

"She's coming." He said quietly. Sarah felt herself stiffen. Jareth's words were laced with ice-cold fear, and she'd never seen him scared before in the entire time she'd known him.

"Who's coming?" Whispered Sarah, almost not wanting an answer. She noticed Hoggle had suddenly gone very quiet, he must have noticed Jareth's strange behaviour too.

Jareth shook his head and pressed his lips together, seemingly not wanting to answer. He turned away from Sarah and Hoggle, and raised his left hand and pressed the fingers on his forehead. He summoned a crystal, and played with in in his hand.

_CRASH._

He had flung the crystal, causing it to hit a tree and smash into millions of glittering shards. The shards started to dissolve into bubbles, which then floated slowly upwards and burst with a pop.

"Jareth?" Sarah had managed to walk to his side without him noticing. She hesitantly placed a slightly trembling hand on his shoulder. Jareth jumped at her warm, careful touch, and then looked straight into her eyes.

"What does she _want?_" he whispered. Jareth watched Sarah's pretty features twist in confusion. "What's changed?" Suddenly, his heart stopped. He knew exactly what had changed. Sarah was here. Sarah had caused _her_ to come here. Sarah was in _danger_. "Sarah, we need to run." Jareth choked. He felt her fingers leave him shoulder, causing a cold shiver to pass down his spine.

"What? Please tell me you're joking. You're the Goblin King. Surely you're not afraid of some silly earthquake?" Sarah taunted, but the tone of her voice suggested she was trying to persuade herself he was kidding. Jareth's eyes flashed and he grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her.

"We're not on Earth, you stupid girl! There _are_ no earthquakes! The Dark Queen is coming here, and she's coming for _you_!" He yelled right in her face. Sarah felt her eyes fill up, but quickly blinked the tears back. She clenched her teeth, stuck out her chin, and pushed Jareth back with all her strength. All he took was a step back, but it was enough for Sarah to escape from his grasp on her shoulders.

"King Jareth, do yous mean, _the_ Dark Queen?" Hoggle cowered. Jareth didn't take his eyes off Sarah, but nodded.

"Care to tell me what's going on? Who's this Queen? And what does she want with _me_?" Sarah asked, trying to sound demanding, but a hint of fear washed over her tongue. Jareth was silent for a few seconds.

"There were two Kings. One ruled over Darkness, all the bad things in infinity. One ruled over Light, and ruled over the good. Neither was good nor evil, they just ruled over the two Sides. They each married, producing the Queens of Light and Dark. All was well, except the Queen of Darkness had evil in her heart, and she murdered her husband and now rules alone over Darkness." He glanced up at Sarah with wide eyes. "As for why she wants you? I've no idea." He blinked, and when he opened his eyes, his face returned to its usual smirk. "I mean, you're just a silly human girl." Sarah scowled.

"You want to marry me." She hissed. Jareth tilted his head, his smirk spreading wider across his cheeks. When he made no attempt to respond, Sarah continued. "What will she do to me?"

"Kill you, is the most likely bet." As pure terror flickered across Sarah's eyes, Jareth regretted the words at once. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms, stroke her long brown curls and tell her everything would be fine. Tell her how he'd protect her, how he'd fight to the death to keep her safe.

But it was not time yet. She had to be the one to come to him.

"Yous have to help her!" Jareth swiftly turned to see Hoggle, with his small hand clasped over his mouth. He knew he'd spoken out of turn. Jareth felt red-hot anger course through his veins.

"I don't have to do anything, you stupid, filthy creature. You're lucky I even brought you here, I should have left you to rot." Sarah jumped in between the two, and glared at Jareth.

"Don't take it out on him! I doubt with have much time. Tell me what I need to do." Jareth's heart wrenched at Sarah thinking she was alone in this, but he covered it with a sneer.

"Like you could do anything. We need to see the King of Light. He can stop the Queen."

"How far is it?" Sarah asked seriously. Jareth blinked at the determination in her voice.

"Further than you think." Was his swift reply.

"It can't be that far." Sarah snapped, crossing her arms. Was he being annoying on purpose?

"We have a long journey ahead of us, we should rest." Jareth stretched and turned away from her.

"Wait! How far is it?" Hoggle was watching them both as if their words were the ball in a tennis match.

"How far is what, Sarah?" She could hear the smirk in his voice.

"To the King."

"What about the King? Remember Sarah. Ask the right questions. Ah, you wanted to see your friends…" Jareth clicked his long, slender fingers.

With a pop, a bewildered looking fox and smiling yeti appeared in a cloud of glitter.

"LUDO! SIR DIDYMUS!" Sarah shouted in excitement, running to them and leaping into Ludo's arms.

"Sawah frieeend!" Ludo bellowed, hugging her tight.

"I say Sarah my lady, it's been a while hasn't it?" Babbled Sir Didymus, holding out his hand to shake Sarah's, who completely ignored the gesture and pulled him into a huge, rib-crushing hug. To Jareth's disappointment, she didn't even notice him walking away.


	9. Chapter 9

_This chapter is mainly focused on Jareth's point of view. _

Jareth transformed into his owl form and flew up towards the moon, his white feathers contrasting against the steadily-darkening sky. He couldn't help but feel that Sarah wasn't falling for him as quickly as he had hoped, that she was slipping through his fingers.

She seemed more concerned about those stupid creatures from his Labyrinth than she was about him. Maybe she hadn't matured as much as he'd thought during those three years. But, he couldn't have brought himself to wait any longer. Those three years seemed longer that the three thousand he'd spent alive. He loved her, more than anything he had ever loved before, more than he had ever thought possible, and although he didn't always make it clear or act like it, he couldn't spend a minute without thinking about her.

Her quick temper and the way she bit her lip and the way she played with her curls when she was nervous and her harsh remarks and her smile and the way she walked and her love for her friends and family and the way she acted when she was drunk and the flush of her cheeks when she was embarrassed and her emerald eyes and chocolate waterfall of hair and her love for magic… it all caused Jareth's chest the squeeze tight and set his heart into a frenzy. He had never felt this way before. When he first started to fall, he was ashamed that he was falling for a silly human girl. Now, he wanted to shout it out to the whole universe.

But he couldn't. She hadn't fallen yet. He couldn't very well make her his wife if she didn't return his feelings, could he? So he had to act like he didn't care half as much as he did. And it was torture. He had two wait three years as it was for her to come of age, and now he had to wait however long it took for her to realise her feelings too.

And what if she never did return his feelings? Jareth didn't even want to think about it. He landed on a tree that overlooked the Labyrinth from a safe distance. It was completely overcome by Darkness. He transformed back to his fae form. He leant against the trunk of the tree and blinked back a tear, disgusted at himself. He hadn't cried since… well. He couldn't even remember. And he wasn't going to cry over some stupid, mortal, human girl.

_Not just any mortal girl, though. _He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the thoughts. He let his mind wander back to the dance they shared when Sarah had eaten his peach. How those few minutes were complete perfection. How close they were to sharing a kiss.

This reminded him. Sarah owed him a kiss. A grin spread across his face like butter.

And he threw back his head and laughed.

"So you're back." Sarah said gruffly, scowling at Jareth as he strolled back to the small clearing. He smiled. She'd noticed his absence after all.

"You missed me, precious?" he teased her.

Sarah blushed. "No." she snapped, whipping her head away from him. Jareth's heart sped up slightly. He put his lips by her ear.

"Come with me." He whispered, breathing in the sweet scent of her hair. Sarah shivered. Jareth smirked. How could he doubt her falling for him? She was falling already. He could tell. His experience with women was not limited… although Sarah was in a completely different class to the women he had wooed before.

She stood up suddenly, and Jareth, taking note of her pink cheeks and bright eyes, lead her to a part of the forest where there was a beautiful, lush meadow.

It was night by now, the moonlight shone down on the lush grass. The air was cool and held the smell of peaches. It was perfect for their first kiss.

"What did you want?" Sarah said quietly. She stood awkwardly. Jareth shot her a smile and took her in his strong arms. She stood stiffly, but began to relax against his body as he swayed her. He began to whisper in her ear.

"There's such a sad love, deep in your eyes, a kind of pale jewel…" Sarah's eyes closed and leaned her head against Jareth's chest as they twirled in the moonlight, intoxicated by his voice.

Jareth loved the feeling of her in his arms. She was the perfect height to hold, her body swayed in the same rhythm as his, and the feeling of her rising and falling chest as she breathed made his heart pound.

He had done exactly what he had promised himself he wouldn't… he had fallen too far. He pushed Sarah out at arm's length. Her emerald eyes widened with confusion.

Time seemed to slow down. All Jareth could focus on was the soft curve of Sarah's lips, that glistened slightly as she licked them. Hesitantly, he leaned his head in, not wanting to startle her.

He saw her eyelids flutter slightly, and close.

He took her chin in one hand, and lifted her face gently towards his. He closed his mismatched eyes.

Their lips met.

A hunger that Jareth had not been able to appease was met. Their mouth moved perfectly in time with each other, slowly, slightly awkwardly, while the moon washed over their skin.

Sarah's hands rose to rest on Jareth's chest. Jareth opened his eyes.

He had to stop or he would lose control.

He pulled away, and smirked at her.

"I'll be looking forward to tomorrow's kiss, too." He breathed against her mouth, and walked away.

Sarah watched him saunter back through the trees.

She fell to her knees, and touched her lips with trembling fingers.

What _was_ that? That wasn't a kiss. It felt like so much more. She had seen stars. She had felt… so much. Like she had felt every emotion at once.

But it was Jareth. Just Jareth. An arrogant, stuck up, King.

But Jareth was also a man. A man who whispered songs to her, who danced with her, who did everything she asked, who modified his castle to meet her tastes, who claimed to love her, who planned to marry her, who was handsome and annoying and funny and loathsome but at the same time so loveable…

What were these feelings that were stirring up inside her heart? She'd never felt them before. Maybe she was having a heart attack or something. It couldn't be _love_, could it? She cursed herself for acting so silly and letting him kiss her like that. But she had realised one thing.

_I need Jareth. I need him more than I've ever needed anyone before._ She thought unhappily.

Jareth watched from the shadows, one hand over his chest, trying to calm his heart. He cursed himself for acting so… _human_. He slid down against one of the trees and put his head in his hands.

_I need her. I need her more than I've ever needed anyone before._


	10. Chapter 10

Sarah took a deep breathe, stood up, and brushed herself down. There was no way she would let what just happened affect her. Jareth was just playing another stupid game, most likely.

She turned and walked back the way she'd come, to see Hoggle and Sir Didymus arguing over something and Ludo sitting in front of a small campfire and counting his toes. Sarah smiled.

"Ah, Miss Sarah, please tell Mr Hoggle that he is in my personal sleeping area and must move immediately!" Sir Didymus exclaimed, waving his paw angrily at Hoggle, and gesturing at a patch of floor under a tree.

Hoggle spluttered. "YOUR area! I saw it first, I'll have you knows, and if you don't move I'll spray you like the fairies. Humph!" He pushed Sir Didymus and sat down determinedly. Sarah held back a giggle.

"Why don't you share it?" she suggested. Sir Didymus and Hoggle looked at each other, and then back at Sarah.

"NO WAY!" they shouted simultaneously. Sarah crossed her arms and frowned.

"Really now, I thought you were better than this. Since you can't agree, you can both find different spots." Sir Didymus bowed reluctantly.

"Yes, Miss Sarah." He sighed, and plodded off to another tree, further away from the fire, to his obvious disappointment.

"No." Hoggle pouted. "Hoggle isn't moving." Sarah was about to plead with him, and tell him it isn't fair if Sir Didymus moves and he doesn't, when a voice from behind her intervened.

"Hoggle, you'll move right now, I can still transport you back to the Bog of Eternal Stench if I wish." Jareth silky voice sent a shiver down Sarah's spine. Hoggle's eyes widened, and he hurriedly got up and shuffled quickly away, to the opposite side of the fire from Sir Didymus, whom he shot an evil look. "Really Sarah, I don't see why you enjoy the company of these things." Jareth shook his head.

"They're my friends." Sarah retorted, narrowing her eyes. "I hate how you badmouth them, like you're so much their superior." Sarah stormed off and plonked down next to Ludo, and leant her head on his shoulder. Jareth couldn't help but wish it was his shoulder she leaned on. He clenched his fists.

No way would he treat a stupid girl's companions as _equals_.

He transformed into the snowy barn owl and flew up a tree to sleep.

Sarah woke up to the sound of tiny shrieks and the smell of toast. She blearily opened her eyes and stretched.

Hoggle had brought his special spray with him, and was, as ever, furiously attacking fairies with a look of glee on his face.

"Morning, precious." Sarah jumped. Looking down at her was Jareth, holding a piece of toast. "Eat. We've got a long journey ahead of us today." Sarah thanked him and took the toast, and started nibbling at the crusts.

Jareth sat down cross-legged, and watched her, fascinated. He'd never tried toast before. It was a human food. Sarah ate is so delicately. It made him sick how she was still so beautiful even when she had just woken up and was eating a cooked piece of bread. Sarah pretended not to notice, and watched Hoggle try (and fail) to climb a tree, to reach a fairy that was taunting him from the upper branches.

"Which way are we headed today?" Sarah mumbled through a mouthful of toast. Jareth smiled at her, and leaned back on his arms.

"Whichever way you want. I have no idea where to go." He said carelessly. Sarah choked.

"What? You don't know where the king is?" Jareth smirked and shook his head. Sarah scowled.

_Great, so I'm being hunted down by the Queen of Darkness for some unknown reason and now I have no idea how to get to the one person who can help._ She thought miserably.

"_Psst_." A nearby flower whispered. Sarah sighed. It really did sound like they were talking. "_We know where to go._" It whispered again. Okay, so it WAS talking. Sarah pounced on it.

"What did you say?"

"_Follow us_!" the flower swayed slightly.

"What on earth are you doing?" Jareth inquired. Sarah looked at him like he was mad.

"I'm talking to the flowers." She continued to whisper away to a forget-me-not. Jareth crouched down next to her, and peered at the blue flower in confusion.

"You can hear the flowers?" He said slowly. Sarah stared at him in exasperation.

"Jareth, please shut up! It's telling me where to go!" Sarah looked back at the flower, apologized, and continued to nod at the inaudible words only she could hear. Jareth stood up.

Sarah shouldn't be able to hear the flowers. Even _he_ couldn't do that. Only the forest dwellers and elves could speak the language of the plants. No human girl should have the ability.

Suddenly, Sarah stood up, a look of victory on her face. "We head west." She grinned in pride. Jareth's brows furrowed. It wouldn't do her any good to tell her that she was doing the impossible. He decided to keep quiet for now. He nodded.

"Wake the others." He told her. He leaned in close. "Looking forward to our next kiss?" Sarah blushed furiously and pushed him away, speed walking in Ludo's direction to attempt to wake him from his slumber.

Jareth was so… so… so _him_. So naturally arrogant and infuriating. It was almost as if he enjoyed pressing her buttons. He probably did, actually. She wouldn't put it past him.

She eventually managed to wake Ludo who woke up yelling for "Rocky", and Sir Didymus, who was snoring a lot louder than he looked capable of.

The ground started shaking again. Sarah looked over to where Jareth was in fear, and he immediately ran to her side and held her in his arms until the non-earthquake stopped.

"We need to get going." He said quietly. Sarah nodded, and took the hand of wailing Ludo, telling him it was okay. Hoggle didn't even seem to have noticed the sudden shaking, and continued attacking fairies with venom. Sarah noticed Sir Didymus had climbed onto Ludo's back and was quivering in fear.

He righted himself when he saw Sarah had noticed. "O-onwards, fair maiden!" He stuttered, pointed forwards with his tiny sword. Sarah smiled at him reassuringly, and pulled Ludo along behind her.

Jareth walked sulkily alone in front, not saying a word. He still moved in a cat like way, but his shoulders were slightly raised and he seemed to have to drag his body. Sarah let go of Ludo's hand and jogged to catch up with him.

"What's wrong?" Jareth jumped. He smirked.

"Worried about me?" he teased. Sarah instantly regretted asking. "I'm just thinking about how I'm going to ask you to be my wife now that we've had to abandon the castle."

"I don't want a stinking proposal. I don't want to marry you at all, for that matter!" Jareth's mocking smile quickly disintegrated and an angry scowl took its place.

"Your heart is as almost as twisted as my Labyrinth, Sarah." And once again, he stormed off in front. Sarah followed.

They travelled through a good part of the forest, ducking under branches and stepping over raised roots. Instead of holding back twigs for Sarah, Jareth seemed to be almost deliberately pinging them back. Sarah swore to get revenge later.

Gradually, the spaces between the trees grew wider and wider, and eventually only came every so often.

They had exited the forest.


	11. Chapter 11

Ludo was wailing in exhaustion, and Hoggle was refusing to walk any further, so a reluctant Jareth agreed they could stop for a ten minute break.

Sarah collapsed in a heap on the floor. She was dripping in sweat, her face was red, and her legs felt like jelly. The two suns were getting quite low in the sky; they must have been walking for at least seven of the thirteen daily hours. They hadn't even stopped to eat, and even Jareth was beginning to feel the effects, not that he let it show.

Jareth sighed; it seemed he had no choice but to use his magic. He hated wasting it. He conjured some read and peaches from mid-air. Hoggle and the others tucked in ravenously, nervously glancing at Jareth from time to time to check it wasn't a trap. Sarah quietly crawled over from her resting spot and nibbled half-heartedly at a peach.

She didn't really feel like eating. Her stomach was already full of butterflies. No matter how hard she tried to snap back to reality, Sarah couldn't get her mind off yesterday's kiss. Her cheeks gently flushed at she recalled the exact moment their lips met. She shook her head in embarrassment, trying to rid herself of the thought.

Of course, her blush didn't escape Jareth's notice. He was incredibly tempted to peek into her thoughts, but he reluctantly promised himself he wouldn't. He might find out something he didn't want to know. He took a couple of peaches into his hands and juggled them like he did with his crystals, deep in thought. He almost dropped them when he felt a light pressure on his shoulder.

"What is it?" he snapped, wanting to snatch the words back at once when he turned and saw hurt feelings flash over Sarah's face. She shifted her weight onto one side of her body, and bit her lip, trying to find the right words.

"Can we be friends again?" She suddenly burst out, sounding like a child at primary school. Jareth stared at her for a second, then threw back his head and laughed. Sarah blushed and crossed her arms in annoyance.

"I wasn't aware we were friends in the first place." He smirked coldly. Sarah's bottom lip quivered slightly. Jareth softly caressed her cheek with his thumb, travelling towards her mouth and lingering over the soft skin of her lips. "We're friends." He whispered, causing Sarah's breath to catch in her throat. She pulled away from his touch, confused by his words.

"I can't figure you out." She simply said, and walked back over to Hoggle and the others. Jareth sighed.

"We're going to get going again." He called, turning and continuing to walk, not waiting for anyone. Sarah sighed and stood up. She couldn't get used to Jareth's constant mood swings.

"Not that way, Sarah!" A tiny voice twinkled in her ear. Sarah looked to her shoulder.

A tiny, green girl about two inches tall with four arms perched on her shoulder. Her eyes were completely black, as it they were pure pupil. Her ears were pointed and her white hair was braided with miniscule flowers. She had antennae that twitched at every movement she made. Translucent wings quivered on her back.

Sarah recognised her instantly from her fairy stories. It was a sprite.

"Pardon?" Sarah whispered. The sprite's eyes flashed mischievously.

"Don't go _that_ way. Never go _that_ way. Come with us!" the sprite giggled and flitted above Sarah's head. Sarah smiled. It was so pretty…

"Five hundred and sixty six!" Hoggle shouted victoriously, spraying the unsuspecting-sprite. Sarah shrieked.

"What did you do that for, Hoggle?"

"Because I told him too." Jareth stated. "Sprites are naturally mischievous. It was luring you deliberately in the wrong direction."

"It told me we shouldn't go this way…" Sarah protested.

"It _told_ you?" Jareth repeated. Not only could she head the flowers, but not the sprites too? Only the Fae should be able to understand. What was Sarah capable of?

Jareth kept a close eye on Sarah for the rest of the day. She seemed to hear things that no one else did. While that irritating dwarf and the fox bickered, and the yeti chased butterflies, Sarah seemed to hear words in the wind, jump at the slightest sound, and notice things that even Jareth's incredibly perceptive eye didn't. He'd never seen anything like it. Jareth always knew Sarah was special, but he had never imagined this.

They had travelled to a mountain range, and were hiking through the valleys. Sarah said that the King was just at the end of the end of the road. Jareth believed her, even though he didn't want to. He couldn't help but strangely _trust_ her, more than he even trusted himself.

The valley was filled with lush grass, with hundreds of wild flowers sprouting from the undergrowth. Mist floated down from the tops of the mountains and made the whole scene look mysterious and alluring. Sprites fluttered around their heads as they walked, Hoggle trying his best to spray them.

They eventually got out of the valley, and in front of them was the biggest Palace Sarah had ever seen. It was made out of some sort of white stone, marble, maybe, with incredibly tall turrets and towers with white flags fluttering in the breeze. There was a drawbridge over a moat that encircled the whole building that swan-like creatures floated on gracefully.

"We're here." Jareth said, surprise lacing his words. He hadn't expected to arrive so soon. It had only taken them two days. He glanced over at Sarah. It couldn't have been _her_ doing, could it? Sarah smiled, and twirled around.

"It's so pretty, Jareth, like a fairy story!" She laughed, her twinkling emerald eyes causing Jareth's heart to jump. He strode up to her, and spun her under his arm, making her giggle like a child. Jareth clicked his gloved fingers, and took Sarah in his arms, dancing with her to the cheerful music that suddenly started playing. Sarah's face was glowing and Jareth loved making her smile, and a smug smirk spread across his face.

Hoggle looked at them in shock. How could Sarah like King Jareth? After all he had done to her (and to him), how could they suddenly be friends? _Hoggle_ was Sarah's friend. Hoggle had never seen Sarah smile like that before. Hoggle wanted to be the one to make Sarah smile.

He kicked a stone in frustration.

The group continued walking down the valley towards the drawbridge. The weather had transformed from sunny and clear to dark with threatening storm clouds in an hour, and inky black darkness was advancing over the horizon.

Sarah looked over her shoulder nervously.

"Are you sure the King will be able to help?" she half-whispered to Jareth.

"Of course. The question is if he _will_." Sarah felt a bubble of panic rise in her chest. She followed Jareth to the drawbridge. There was a high gate blocking the pathway that she hadn't noticed before. Carelessly, Jareth lifted his palm to it and with a reluctant creak, it shuddered open. He strode through, Sarah and the others quick on his heels.


	12. Chapter 12

Jareth swiftly led them to the throne room of the King. Hoggle, Sir Didymus and Ludo reluctantly stayed outside. Only Jareth and Sarah were allowed in.

"Ah, Jareth, my old friend! What can I do for you?" A strong-looking man with course brown hair and a straggly brown beard, wearing grand threads that were all different shades of gold and white, and expensive looking jewellery stood up and shook Jareth's hand. Jareth smiled, bringing his whole face to light. It was a real smile, not his usual trademark smirk. Sarah's heart sped up. "And who's this young lady? A human?" The King shot Jareth a concerned look, and then shook Sarah's hand as well. He gestured to them to sit down at a rather large table.

"Borlot, the Dark Queen is on a rampage, and I think she may be after Sarah." Jareth stated, straight to the point. There was none of the usual humour in his voice. The King's jolly expression instantly dropped.

"Are you quite sure?" Jareth nodded gravely at the King's inquiry. "Why is she in the Underground in the first place?"

"I'm going to make her my wife." Sarah felt her cheeks redden. Jareth didn't seem to be embarrassed at all, his jaw was set and his mismatched eyes flashed with promise.

The King leaned forward apologetically. "Not to be blunt, Jareth, but are you sure she's worth it?" Jareth blinked.

"She's special." He said simply, not missing a beat.

"You love her?"

"Yes." Jareth's voice started to sound frustrated. The King straightened. "She can hear the flowers' voices. A sprite spoke to her, and she understood what it was saying. She's different." The King looked surprised. He turned to Sarah, a look of confusion and wonder on his face. Sarah looked back nervously with her emerald green eyes.

"Miss Sarah, you heard the flowers and the sprite?" Sarah nodded, not quite sure what was going on. "Are you sure you're completely human?"

"Um, I think so? Both my parents were human. I think, anyway." She amended. The King turned back to Jareth.

"I think it's her belief in the magical realm. Jareth, you must be careful. She'll Change soon. You have to be sure that this is the right choice." The King warned. Jareth's head whipped up, raw panic paling his cheeks.

"Change? Already?" The two kings looked at each other. Jareth took a deep breath. "How long?"

"Very soon. Days, maybe weeks if you're lucky. She has to want it too, Jareth. Don't be cruel." The King shot Jareth a cautious look. "Anyway. About the Queen. Sarah will have to face her eventually. I can't do anything. However, she must be stopped." Sarah's fists clenched at the decisive words and her eyes widened in fear. Jareth merely nodded in acceptance.

"I thought you'd say that. We should go."

"Please, stay the night. You'll need your rest." The King decided, not leaving room for refusal. Jareth thanked him, and led Sarah back outside where Hoggle and the others were waiting impatiently. He told them that they were spending the night there, and told them to go inside to be led to their rooms. He smirked at Sarah, but there was sadness in his eyes that Sarah had not seen before. He offered his arm to her, and she took it automatically. They walked down to a small pond quite a while away from the palace's front doors. It was shaded by a huge overhanging weeping willow, and a bench sat at the base of the trunk. Jareth took a seat and patted the space next to him, encouraging Sarah to join him. She did so. The bench overlooked the pond, and the two suns shone down on the lightly rippling water in a very pretty way. A couple of fairies flitted on the lily pads and rainbow coloured fish swum almost out of view.

"Sarah, you are no ordinary woman." Jareth said suddenly. Sarah jumped and rolled her eyes to look at him. He hadn't moved an inch; he was still facing out onto the lake, legs crossed, leaning back, and hands behind his head. "Not to me, anyway."

"What do you-" Sarah began.

"Do you remember when we danced together, after you ate my peach?" Sarah said she did. "I believe that's when I first fell in love with you." Jareth uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, clasping his hands together. "I never thought I could feel this way, Sarah. I'm not used to human emotions, so you'll have to bear with me." Sarah didn't reply. She had frozen in surprise. She had no idea that Jareth had brought her here to confess.

Jareth turned to her, slowly, hesitantly. He took one of her trembling hands in his. "Sarah, you are an intelligent, caring, loyal, and incredibly annoying young woman. You are, in every essence of the word, beautiful. And I find myself in the situation where I can't be without you." Sarah opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. What was Jareth saying? Was he trying to trick her? Her heart was beating so fast it felt like it would explode, and the butterflies in her stomach felt like they were trying to escape. "Soon, you will Change into an immortal, like me. It happens if you stay in the magical realm for too long, and it seems it's affected you a lot quicker than I thought it would. The Change won't happen if you leave. It's an irreversible process. So I give you a choice." Sarah felt like she could die any moment. Her eyes were filling with tears for no reason and she was feeling an emotion she couldn't put a name to.

Not letting go of her hand, Jareth swept from his sitting position to kneeling before her. Sarah's free hand jumped to her mouth.

Jareth's eyes never left hers. "Sarah, I love you. I am in love with you. I live for you, I will do anything you ask, and you are my world. Stay with me in the Underground. Do me the honour of becoming my Queen." The breeze ruffled their hair gently as Jareth uncurled the fingers of his right hand, revealing a delicate sliver ring, tiny swirls and leaves clasping a small green jewel that matched the colour of Sarah's eyes exactly. A single teardrop dropped down Sarah's cheek. Her lips were trembling. What was going on? Why was she happy?

_It seems that, somewhere along the line, I've unknowingly fallen for him. _She thought to herself. She let Jareth slide the ring onto her ring finger of her left hand. It was a perfect fit. Jareth stood, and Sarah immediately jumped up, took his face in her hands, and pressed her lips firmly, desperately against his, as if it were her last chance to do so.

Jareth's eyes widened, and then closed as he relaxed and wrapped his arms around the woman he loved. He reluctantly pulled his lips from hers and rested his chin on the top of her head, swaying her gently in his arms. "Forever won't be long enough, but it's a start." He whispered. Sarah sighed contently. He lifted his fingers from her waist to her hair and gently twisted a strand around his index finger. Finally, he could hold her tightly in his arms, smell her scent mix with his, and have her hold him back. Relax in the knowledge that she loved him too, and they had forever and more to be together. He felt something moving on his chest. He looked down.

"You're wiping your nose on me you filthy girl!" He shouted, pushing Sarah from him in disbelief. Sarah glowered and sniffed.

"How can you say those things when you're always so mean to me?" Sarah cried, and she smartly strode up to him and pushed him into the pond. He grabbed her dress as he fell off guard, and together they toppled into the water.


	13. Chapter 13

_Nothing much happens in this chapter, it's more feelings etc, sorry! :P_

Hoggle watched King Jareth and Sarah arguing lovingly in the pond.

He had seen it all.

He saw the green jewel flash on Sarah's ring finger. He knew what it meant.

He had seen them kiss, seen King Jareth hold _Hoggle's_ friend in his arms. He'd seen Sarah hold that good-for-nothing jerk back.

Hoggle looked away in disgust, and plodded over to the huge, soft bed in the centre of the room. He'd never felt anything so comfy before, but he didn't even notice how wonderful it was. He was too busy letting jealousy's greedy tongue lick his heart. His short fingers lightly fingered the plastic beads that lined his wrist. He had never taken Sarah's bracelet off, even after all those years. For some reason, the elastic seemed tight and uncomfortable at that moment. He wanted to look out of the window again, to catch a glimpse of Sarah, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

A fat tear rolled down Hoggle's large nose. He quickly wiped at away, ashamed for crying. He slipped a couple of his fingers under the elastic, trying to loosen the bracelet's tight grasp.

"Mr Hoggle, dinner will be served in five minutes!" A sudden voice at the door caused Hoggle to jump, and his fingers jerked against Sarah's bracelet.

The elastic broke along with his heart, and plastic beads bounced on the floor.

...

After dinner, Sarah lay in the steaming waters of the bath for what seemed like hours. It was the first time she'd been able to fully relax in days. She let the day's events wash over her. Slowly, Sarah lifted her left hand out of the bubbles. A flash of silver and green reassured her that she hadn't dreamed Jareth's proposal.

She took in a deep breath and leant back, letting her face submerge under the surface of the water. When did she stop hating Jareth and start loving him? Did she ever stop hating him? Did she ever hate him in the first place?

Sarah held her breath for as long as she could, and then burst out of the water, gasping for air. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. All she could think was Jareth this, Jareth that. Just the thought of his name caused her heart beat to become more and more rapid, and her face to redden. She curled up in a ball and hugged her knees. She hated to admit it, even to herself, but she really did love Jareth. Even if he was an arrogant jerk.

Her fingertips had become wrinkly, so she hopped out of the bath, wrapped a fluffy white towel around herself, and sat on the floor, allowing her sopping hair to drip down her back. She bit her lip, as she always did when she was deep in thought. Would things between her and Jareth change? Would he treat her differently? Part of her wanted him to, but another part wanted him to keep teasing her, mocking her, taunting her, just like he always had.

She knew that if she'd had the choice, she'd have never fallen for Jareth. He had stolen her heart and had no intention of giving it back, but Jareth would surely say the same about her. There was no way he would willingly fall for an average, human girl.

Sharp pain shot through Sarah's lip, she'd bitten too hard. She stood up and dapped gently at her bleeding lower lip. She sighed, drained the tub, and pulled on a plain t shirt and underwear. There were silk nighties beckoning her from the guest wardrobe, but Sarah felt intimidated by the many frills and bows. They didn't look very comfy to sleep in.

A knock on the door tore Sarah from her thoughts. She pulled down her shirt as far as it would go, and cautiously opened the door. Jareth stood before her, wearing sweatpants and a simple black top. Even in such plain clothes he still looked extravagant.

"May I come in?" He smirked, and before waiting for an answer, pushed passed Sarah and made himself comfortable on her bed. Sarah glared and quickly pulled on some shorts to make herself decent. Jareth cocked his head with an amused expression on his face. "Why bother?" he purred. Sarah blushed furiously, grabbed a pillow and smacked Jareth in the face with it. When the pillow lowered, a bewildered looking Jareth was revealed. Sarah laughed out loud at his shocked expression, much to Jareth's humiliation.

He grabbed her slender wrist and yanked her down onto the bed roughly, enjoying the look of confusion and shock on her face. He pinned her down, and when she stopped struggling, seized the chance to swiftly hit her back with the same pillow she had attacked him with. Sarah squealed adorably and kicked her legs in attempt to escape, causing Jareth to throw his head back and laugh openly. He mercilessly started to tickle her, finding that her feet were her weak spot. Sarah screamed and wriggled and begged him to stop, crying that she hated him between bursts of giggles.

Jareth stopped, and they both flopped back on the bed, alongside each other. Sarah's hand found his and their fingers laced together.

"You're horrible." Sarah gasped, still catching her breath.

"I know." He chuckled softly. Sarah glanced over at him. As she suspected, his legs were crossed and his free arm was behind his head. His eyes were closed, and he could have been sleeping if it weren't for the sly smile playing on his lips.

"Are you ticklish too?" Sarah asked.

"Don't even try it." Jareth warned, opening one eye to watch her every move. Sarah made a mental note to find out in the future, but right now, she didn't want to ruin the moment. She didn't want to do anything but lie right there, hand in hand with the arrogant king. She sighed softly and closed her eyes.

Jareth turned onto his side. Sarah was fast asleep, the rise and fall of her chest regular and slow. He softly brushed his fingers against her slightly flushed cheek. Her long eyelashes brushed her cheek and her peach-coloured lips were slightly parted. Even in her dreaming state, she was beautiful. Jareth snaked his arms under her neck, and she grumbled quietly in her sleep and wriggled closer to the warmth that was Jareth's chest. He chuckled, amused at his little human, and lay down next to her.

Resting his forehead against hers, he closed his eyes and let sleep wash over him.


	14. Chapter 14

Sarah blearily opened her sleep filled eyes to the sound of an unfamiliar bird singing shrilly outside the window of the room she had stayed in. She sat up lazily, and stretched, relieving herself from one of the awkward sleeping positions she nearly always found herself waking up from.

A splash from the bathroom made her jump. She looked around, and noticing the Goblin King was nowhere to be seen, presumed he was taking a bath. Her cheeks flushed of their own accord, the image of her Jareth in the bath, wearing, well, nothing. She shook her head in embarrassment, trying to rid herself of the pictures that had flooded her thoughts.

The door to the bathroom opened, and Jareth, wearing nothing but a towel and his crescent necklace, padded out on his bare feet, his blonde, messy hair dripping down his shoulder blades. His face was slightly red from the steam, his intoxicating scent of peaches and honey filling the room almost as soon as he'd entered it.

His eyes widened when he saw Sarah peering at him from under the sheets. He raised an eyebrow, and one corner of his mouth twitched, hinting at a mocking smirk.

"Good morning, my precious. I didn't know you were awake." He sidled over to Sarah and lifted her chin. Before she could protest, Jareth had already pressed his warm and still wet lips against hers. Sarah pulled away, wriggling to the furthest corner of the bed she could get to without actually leaving it. Her already dark blush grew deeper by the second.

"You shouldn't have slept in here last night, this is my room." She squinted at him accusingly, raking her fingers through her messy chocolate locks. Jareth's taunting smile grew; amused by his obvious effect on her, infatuated by how charming she was when she became flustered. He leaned towards her, testing if she would move back. Sarah glared and didn't move an inch, but after a few seconds her bravery faltered and she screwed her eyes shut, not being able to look at him anymore with a straight face.

"Your defiance really is adorable, precious." Jareth murmured, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear before rising from the bed and walking out of her room, presumably to return to his own.

It was only when Sarah opened her green orbs that she noticed he had left the towel on her bed. Her heart rate increased much to her annoyance, and she gingerly picked it up between her thumb and index finger and flung it back into the bathroom.

_He has no shame._ Sarah huffed, telling herself that she disliked that about him, although her pink cheeks said otherwise. She absentmindedly twisted her ring round her finger. It already felt natural to wear it there. The word "fiancé" popped into her mind, and she squealed in disgust and flopped back onto the bed. She couldn't think of Jareth as her _fiancé_. He was far too… arrogant and rude and demanding and _Jareth_-like.

In his own room, Jareth smirked at the thought of Sarah realising he had left his towel on her bed. He wished he could see the flush of her cheeks, and hear her scold him and needlessly inform him of how rude and shameless he was. He knew it already of course, and he loved to taunt her, simply to savour her reaction. Jareth ran his fingers through his hair, and summoned a crystal.

"Show me Sarah." He ordered, his voice clear and sharp. A mysterious white mist floated inside the crystal, and the swirls slowly formed the shape of Sarah curled up on her side on the floor. Jareth's initial reaction was shock and worry, but when he saw she was unharmed he relaxed. He heard her whispers as if she were right next to him.

"Stupid. Stupid, Stupid." He heard her mutter. Jareth smirked, proud of his work. Sarah was clearly complaining about him. "Stupid girl!" Sarah's voice rose to a cry, and she grabbed fistfuls of her hair and yanked at it in disdain. "What kind of idiot would fall for the Goblin King?" Sarah whispered to herself. He saw her shiver, and stand abruptly.

"Jareth?" she called. Jareth froze and his blood ran cold. Could she sense he was watching? He allowed the crystal to disappear, popping like a bubble, pulled on a bath robe and teleported to Sarah, appearing in a shower of glitter.

"You called?" He purred, trying to hide the guilt lacing his tongue. Sarah blinked, and smiled, shaking her head.

"Sorry, I thought… nothing. I'm just being silly. Um, we should get ready, we have to go and find the…" Sarah trailed off, not wanting to finish her sentence. Jareth nodded, understanding her completely. He cocked one of his eyebrows at her.

"Wear something black, I think it looks rather fetching on you. It makes you look ever more the future Goblin Queen." He changed the subject casually, not wanting to dwell on negativities. He winked at her, and teleported back to his own room, leaving Sarah to get ready.

Once back in his own room, he furrowed his brow in frustration. Pulling on a shirt and his normal tight trousers, he walked briskly to find the Light King, tired for teleporting so much in a short space of time. The corridors were long, with many twists and turns. The floors were made from a deep brown wood, polished so much that one could use them as a mirror. The walls were pure white, with countless windows allowing the two suns' rays to stream through and fill the palace with natural, gleaming light.

"Ah, Jareth!" King Borlot stood, closing the thick book he was reading with a snap. He stood and clapped Jareth on the back. "Good to see you, good to see you! What can I do for you, my friend?" he beckoned at Jareth to sit down, and they relaxed in the middle of the round library. The ceiling was high, with stained glass windows on it, turning the light into gorgeous shades of blue, red and green. Jareth clasped his hands together, and bit his lip. It seemed he was picking up Sarah's habits.

He hesitated before he spoke. "I think I've made the Bond with Sarah." Jareth swallowed, now he'd said it aloud it seemed more real and distressed him ever the more.

"Well, Jareth, you know what you have to do then, don't you?" The King smiled kindly at him, but there was an odd look in his eyes that Jareth hadn't seen before. King Borlot was a good hundred or so years older than Jareth, and had often acted like an older brother to him. It was he who had taught Jareth to ride a horse, and had always kept a watchful eye over him and tried to keep him out of trouble. Jareth trusted the King with his life. After over three thousand years of knowing him, he and Jareth had become firm friends. But Jareth had never seen him like this before.

"What do you mean?" Jareth replied quietly, dreading the answer. The King's smile grew wider; it now looked like a fake, painted-on mouth than clowns have. It was unnerving, and Jareth was getting a warning, nervous feeling in his chest.

"You'll have to break the bond, of course! No good will come out of bonding with a silly human girl!" King Borlot laughed merrily, and clapped his hands. Jareth's eyes flashed.

"I will not kill her." He growled, the air around him crackling with his fury. The King's expression changed in a split second, his mouth snapped closed and straightened into a firm line, and his eyes stared seriously and unblinkingly into Jareth's mismatched pair.

"It's the only way, Jareth. And if you don't, I will." He stared at Jareth for a few seconds, before erupting into more manic-sounding laughter, as if he was joking. Then back to the serious expression. Something in Jareth's mind clicked.

"WHO ARE YOU?" Jareth roared. This was _not_ the man he knew, who he had spent centuries looking up to. His heart wavered, fearing what had happened to the real King.

The fake King Borlot's body glitched like static on a television. His upper lip curled in a sneer, revealing pointed canines and a black tongue. His eyes faded to white, with no pupil or iris, and his eyelashes grew long and thick. His beard retreated back into his skin and his course hair smoothed and grew at an alarming rate down his back, before paling to silver. His body thinned and paled, his figure curved and the clothes melted into a body-clinging dress. His nails grew long and pointed, like claws, and last but not least, his crown stretched into a large silver tiara.

The Dark Queen's thin lips spread in a vicious looking smirk. "Looks like you figured out my little secret, but you always were a clever one, weren't you, honey?" She whipped her long, white fingers by Jareth's face, opening a deep gash on his left cheek. He barely flinched, just stared back into her cold eyes, crimson blood dribbling down to his chin, dropping with a sickening drip onto the marble floor.

"Where is Borlot?" Jareth demanded, his jaw set. The Queen circled him, cackling evilly.

"Here, there, everywhere. Depends which bit of him you're looking for." She taunted, trying to drag a reaction from him. "Now give me the child." Jareth choked and bit back a sob. The King of Light was dead. Images of Borlot's cold, dead, unseeing eyes, set in an unmoving face with grey skin, splashed with his own lifeblood flashed before his eyes. It was all he could do to not reel. He summoned a crystal and threw it with all his might at the Dark woman, who laughed and easily brushed it away with a flick of her wrist.

However, Jareth had not meant it as a weapon, but as a distraction. The second the Queen's attention was off him, he used the last of his strength to teleport to Sarah's room, and collapsed in a heap at her feet.


	15. Chapter 15

For a second, Sarah froze and merely stared at the pale looking Goblin King, who was usually so strong and arrogant and full of life, crumpled in a heap at her feet. His mismatched eyes were squeezed shut and sweat glistened over his skin. He was panting heavily, shaking gasps bursting from his trembling lips, clearly exhausted, and his face was distorted in pain.

Jareth, slipping in and out of consciousness, felt Sarah's welcoming arms cradle him. He relaxed against her, almost forgetting the desperation of the situation and how they had to get out of the palace, _now_.

Sarah's voice washed over him but he couldn't make out the words. A ringing in his ears had taken over all his senses, he felt like he was falling and falling and falling, gravity's greedy pull forcing his body to bend to its will. He had never felt so weak before. He knew it was vital for him to teleport his Sarah out of harm's way, but he couldn't even find the strength to open his eyes.

He felt something wet splash on his cheek.

Sarah's tears flowed freely, completely terrified at the side of the semi-conscious King on her arms. She had no idea what was happening, and it to her it seemed that the world was coming to an end.

The door to her room slammed open so hard that it was ripped from its hinges. The light seemed to be sucked from the room, and Sarah shivered as the temperature rapidly dropped. A feeling of dread crept up her spine, covering her skin in goose bumps.

Before her was a terrifying figure, enveloped by menacing swirls of black mist. The woman radiated power, but not the magic that she sensed from Jareth. This feeling was of darkness, death, fear…

Sarah knew instantly that this was the Dark Queen. Sarah grabbed Jareth's hand and closed her eyes, preparing for the worst.

But the worst never came. Hesitantly, she peeked through one eye. They were no longer in the Palace. Somehow, they had managed to transport to… well. Sarah had no idea where they were, their surroundings were pitch black and no sounds or smells gave away where they could be.

Still holding Jareth's hand, she squeezed it gently. The impact of what had just happened hit her like a truck, causing her to literally double over. Her free hand had automatically clamped to her mouth in an effort to hold back the choked sobs.

_Get a hold of yourself, Sarah! _She told herself as she began to calm down. She looked around. There was definitely no way she could see in these conditions. Squeezing Jareth's fingers one more time, she let go of his hand and started to feel her way around the room.

"Ouch!" a pained hiss escaped from Sarah's lips as her hip banged into what felt like a small round table. Carefully patting at the surface, she found a long waxy stick with a short piece of string protruding from one end. A candle. She was just about to think of how she could light it when suddenly; a lilac flame engulfed the string of its own accord.

Sarah looked wildly around the newly lit room, to find Jareth lying back, propped up on his shoulders, with a sly grin on his smug face. "Feeling jumpy, precious?" Normally, Sarah would have retorted with a sarcastic comeback, but Jareth's voice sounded so weak that she couldn't bring herself to do it. Hurrying to Jareth's side, she took him in her arms and held him tight.

Although momentarily surprised, Jareth breathed in her warm smell and returned the embrace. He could feel Sarah shaking, trying not to cry, so he pressed his lips against her soft neck and murmured some reassuring words of how everything would be okay. He lifted one of his strong hands and ran his fingers gently through her long hair, rocking her slightly.

A sharp pain on his left cheek shook him out of his trance. A furious looking Sarah was standing squarely in front of his,the hand she had slapped him with outstretched, her brow furrowed and cheeks red. Jareth couldn't help thinking that even in anger she was still ever so beautiful.

"How could you scare me like that?" she cried, biting back sobs of frustration. "I thought you were dead! We almost died!" she dragged a hand across her cheek to wipe away traitor tears, smearing her makeup in a very unattractive way. Her nose was running and her eyes had gone red and swollen up. Jareth, saying nothing, stood up and swept her in his arms, his strength returning. Sarah pulled away at first, but couldn't resist the warmth and comfort of his hold.

"Sarah, it was not my intention to frighten you. As for the latter, I cannot describe how proud I am of you. You were incredibly brave." Jareth told her, pulling her head to his body.

"Brave?" Sarah said, her voice muffled by his chest. "I didn't do anything." She felt Jareth vibrate as he chuckled.

"You teleported us to one of my Oubliettes." Sarah looked around. It was true; they were in the very same Oubliette that she had fallen into before when running the Labyrinth.

"I did that? How? And why here?" Sarah was completely and utterly confused. _Jareth_ was the one with the flashy magic powers. She was just plain Sarah, a girl obsessed with fairy stories. And why, of all places, would she take them there if she _did_ have that power?

"There's more time for that later, Sarah. And I can only assume you took us to the first safe place where we wouldn't be found that you could think of." He said softly. That made sense; there was little chance of the Queen looking here. Not for a while, anyway. After all, it was a place where one put things to forget about them. They couldn't hide forever though. "We should rest here for tonight." Jareth said, stepping away from Sarah and stretching whilst peering around their dreary surroundings.

A horrible feeling of fear coursed through Sarah, turning her blood to ice. "What about Hoggle and the others?" She whispered.

"When I teleported to your room, I also sent them out of harm's way. They're in the dwarf realm, where Hedgewart came from. They'll be safe. We'll meet with them later." he flashed a smirk in Sarah's direction, knowing he'd impressed her by his consideration. Sarah hid this by correcting him of Hoggle's name, teasing a laugh from Jareth's mouth.

Jareth was still weakened from the amount of magic he had used earlier, so he only managed to summon a few blankets from his castle before he started to feel faint again. He cursed himself for not being able to provide Sarah with more comfortable bedding, but she seemed happy enough. She pottered around the Oubliette, setting up two beds (at opposite ends of the room, much to Jareth's disappointment) for them both, while Jareth leant against a wall and watched her with a slight smirk. The two had no idea what time it was, the room was pitch black other than the faint flow of the single candle, and that was melting away at an alarming pace. However, the air was growing cold so Sarah guessed it must be getting late.

She clambered into her makeshift sleeping place, and awkwardly smiled at Jareth.

"Urm, goodnight." She didn't know what she was meant to say. Jareth's smirk widened and he strode over the where Sarah was sitting, and crouched down to lightly press his lips against hers.

"Goodnight, precious." Jareth licked his lips, revealing sharp teeth beneath them. Sarah's cheeks reddened and she turned away from the Goblin King and lay down, her back to him. She traced her tingling mouth with her fingers absentmindedly, and closed her eyes, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Jareth gazed longingly at his beloved. How he craved to lie next to her, and hold her tight! Even though she'd admitted her feelings – sort of – she still wasn't ready for being openly intimate and romantic. She rarely even kissed him. He would wait a whole lifetime for her, but it didn't mean he would like it. Sighing, he sat on the pile of blankets that Sarah had attempted to mould into a bed for him. It was incredibly uncomfortable.

Already sleeping, Sarah fidgeted, her subconscious body aware of the Goblin King's intense gaze. Jareth smiled and lay back, ignoring his discomfort of the single blanket covering a hard, dirty floor. He listened to the sound of Sarah's breathing. Raw determination sprung into his heart, his impulse to protect his queen stronger than ever. He fell asleep repeating the same words over and over in his mind.

_I __**will**__ protect Sarah, even if I have to kill the Queen with my bare hands._


	16. Chapter 16

The Dark Queen's scream of rage could be heard throughout the whole kingdom. Goblin families cowered, all obeying their King's orders of staying indoors and keeping quiet. Stray fairies that had escaped the wrath of Hoggle, for the time being anyway, squeaked in fear and hid under flowers and leaves. The Worm from the Labyrinth said "Blimey!" and wriggled back to his missus.

The Queen tore at her hair in frustration, handfuls coming out in her pale, smooth hands, which grew back instantly, preserving her beauty. She was very vain, yet it paid off. Tall and curvy, with a heart shaped face, skin as white as snow, a small nose, soft, pale lips, high cheekbones and large eyes with long eyelashes made her alluring and curiously perfect. The only sign of her age was her pin-straight silver hair, although it was kept incredibly well, brushed and conditioned to an inch of its life, hanging loosely by her waist. Her face was not pretty as she screamed however, her true demon-like features showing through her mask of beauty as she roared and wailed at the fact that a stupid, pathetic, _worthless_ human girl had escaped from her.

Obviously that idiotic Goblin King had been teaching her a few party tricks. The Queen whipped her hand around the room, causing everything that could catch fire to go up in flames. Satisfied, she stalked out to the gardens, killing any servant, guest or royal family member that tried to stop her.

She looked up to the darkening sky. What did that Goblin King see in the girl? As far as she could see, the girl was pretty average. Plain brown hair, faded green eyes, thick eyebrows. Stubborn, rude, and slow. Lonely. The Queen knew this because she had watched Sarah almost as much as the Goblin King had during the three years she had returned to the Aboveground, curious as to what had stolen his heart. The Queen would have laughed out loud at what she had found if she didn't think the Goblin King had a chance of making the Bond with the girl. But he did. And that would affect her plan.

Lazily flicking her wrist, the Queen stole a life from a goblin that was hiding nearby. She didn't even think about killing anymore, it came so naturally to her.

The Queen began to pace in a circle, deep in thought, ignoring fearful gazes upon her. She had to somehow split the Goblin King and the girl up, that way she could easily kill the girl without any interruptions. Of course, that would be a lot easier if the Goblin King ever left the girl's side. The Queen pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. The girl would have to be the one to stray from the Goblin King, the other way round would never happen. The only question was how.

A sickening smile pulled at the Dark Queen's lips as a plot formed in her twisted mind.


	17. Chapter 17

Jareth stretched as he awoke from a restless night's sleep. The whole night he had been tossing and turning, churning the day's events over his mind, mindlessly worrying about his Sarah. He knew he had to somehow protect her from the Dark Queen, but that seemed to become more and more impossible as time went by. He knew that he was nowhere near as powerful as the Queen, and he could never hope to be. In a way, he was glad he only had a Goblin King's amount of power. Higher Kings and Queens often went crazy with hunger for more magic and control, and of course he didn't want to end up like the Dark Queen herself. No, he was quite happy with the amount of magic he currently possessed. But, he couldn't help but feel slightly… useless, when there was close to nothing he could do for the one he adored.

A bolt of pain coursed through his heart, causing him to grunt in pain. His eyes widened and he clawed at his chest. So it was true, then. He _was_ making the Bond with Sarah. It was unheard of for a Fae to make the Bond with a human. It was supposedly dangerous, in fact. Jareth glanced over to where Sarah was sleeping peacefully. She had turned to face him in her sleep, so Jareth could see her sleeping face. She looked so peaceful and happy, and there was nothing Jareth wanted more than to join her in her 'bed', and hold her in his arms while she dreamed. He wanted to hold her while she was so sweet and at her most vulnerable, and make her feel safe in his embrace.

Thunder cracked from above, causing Sarah to wake with a start, whipping her head around in confusion and panic, trying to figure out where the sound had come from.

"Jareth! Jareth!" she called, her eyes not yet adjusted to the dark room. When his face loomed into view, she calmed instantly.

"We should set off again. We need to get you somewhere safe." Jareth told her, masking his affection with a smirk that didn't reach his eyes. Sarah shifted her gaze from his awkwardly. She hated it when he put up a front.

"I don't want to go somewhere safe. I have to face her, remember? That's what the King said…" Jareth's blood ran cold and Sarah's words, his memories of his old friend morphing into the Dark Queen.

"No. That wasn't the King." His voice choked slightly. Sarah peered at him, confused.

"What do you-" she started.

"Enough! Just do as I say Sarah. Get up and take hold of my arm." He barked at her. Sarah's eyes flashed in fear, but then they set and she crossed her arms.

"I'm not one of your goblins, Jareth. Don't talk to me like a child."

"Don't defy me!" Jareth roared. He grabbed her arm, and teleported them to where he thought they would be safest from the Dark Queen.

Sarah opened her eyes, which she had automatically squeezed shut when the stomach-churning teleportation began. She still wasn't used to travelling that way. She took in her surroundings. Grey, stone ground. Grey buildings. Grey roads. Cars. Buses. People. Sarah gasped. They were in the Aboveground. Although still furious with Jareth, she looked at him curiously. What was he up to?

Jareth's clothes had morphed into normal black jeans and a baggy black jumper. The gold chain of his pendant could be seen around his neck, but the crescent was hidden under the material. His hair had been shoved into a messy ponytail. His usual Fae makeup was gone. He could maybe even pass for a human. Sarah glanced down. She too was wearing normal human clothes again, instead of the gorgeous dresses she had been wearing for the past couple of weeks.

The Goblin King led her down long streets and through winding alleyways until they arrived at a rather run-down looking set of flats. Jareth strode right in, not hesitating at all, and Sarah followed reluctantly. She wished Jareth would at least tell her what was going on.

"Can I help you?" a startled looking old woman with hardly any teeth asked, surprised at Jareth's sudden arrival. They didn't get many customers.

"I want a room for my fiancé and I." Jareth demanded, seemingly in a hurry. The woman nodded nervously and asked for their names. "Jareth and Sarah King." She wrote their names down hurriedly.

"How long will you be staying for?" she whispered. Jareth seemed to have an almost frightening presence. Jareth glared at her. "Sorry!" she squeaked. "Room twelve, it's on the second floor…" she trailed off, as Jareth had already stormed off. "You've forgotten your key…" the old woman choked.

"Sorry about him, he can be awfully moody sometimes." Sarah said loudly, hoping Jareth could hear. She took the key. "Thanks." She smiled, trying to reassure the terrified woman, and ran after the Goblin King. He seemed to walk with perfect confidence, as if he knew exactly where he was going. He came to an abrupt stop in front of a room with a green door that had the number two on it, and there was a slightly lighter green patch in front of it in the shape of a one, where the number had fallen off.

Sarah pushed Jareth out of the way without looking at him, and inserted the key into the lock. She opened the door.

The room was surprisingly snug. Of course it was nothing on the rooms in Jareth's castle, but unlike the rest of the building, it was clean and warm. It was an average sized room with a tiny television and a cracked leather sofa, a tiny bathroom and kitchen, and one bedroom. With one bed. Sarah blushed but didn't say anything, as she was still ignoring Jareth for his earlier outburst.

"We'll have to lie low in the human realm for a while." Jareth sighed. "It will prolong your mortality too." Sarah ignored him and flopped onto the sofa. "Sarah?"

She didn't even look up, just curled up and made herself comfy.

"Sarah, answer me." Jareth tried ordering her. Sarah snorted and turned on the television.

Swallowing his pride, Jareth tried again. "Sarah, precious, I'm _sorry_." Sarah smirked and turned to him.

"Beg."

"I beg your pardon?" Jareth spluttered, going red.

"Beg for forgiveness." Sarah smiled innocently.

"You are not being serious." Jareth said slowly. Sarah just continued to smile. "Please Sarah, forgive me." Sarah shook her head.

"Not good enough." And she turned back to Total Wipeout.

Jareth walked so he was between her and the screen. "Please precious." He murmured. Sarah was deliberately making a fool of him, and he promised himself revenge later on. Sarah cocked her head at him.

"On your knees." Jareth's fists clenched, and he lowered to the floor.

"Please forgive me." He hissed through his teeth. Sarah couldn't hold it in anymore, and hysterical laughter burst from her lips. Tears ever trickled down her cheeks as all her emotions leaked out from her in that one moment. Jareth, still a shocking shade of crimson, stood and went to walk to the bathroom for a shower, but a tug on his jumper stopped him. He turned. A still giggling Sarah was behind him.

"What?" He growled. Sarah wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest, hugging him tightly.

"Forgive meeeee, Sarah!" She teased, and then slipped past him to get to the shower first.

"You'll be the death of me, Sarah Williams!" Jareth called through the door. He slunk down to the floor and leaned against the door to the bathroom, listening to Sarah humming to herself in the shower. He smiled despite himself. She knew just how to press his buttons.


	18. Chapter 18

_2,431 years previously_

"Stop it!" Lucretia squealed, flicking her long blonde hair over her shoulder and wriggling away from Jareth as he tickled her mercilessly. Jareth grinned, his young, teen cheeks still slightly rounded and red with excitement.

The pair was resting under a large cherry blossom tree, pink flowers parting gently from the caress of the branches they were joined to and floating down into the pond at the base of the trunk. The two suns were shining brightly down from a clear blue sky, but a light breeze kept the temperature comfortable. Fairies were giggling from hiding spots at the two lovers and their twinkling laughter caused forget-me-nots to spring up from the earth.

Jareth plucked one that had sprouted near him and tucked it behind Lucretia's ear.

"Now you'll never forget me." He smirked, liking how her cheeks turned pick as his palm skimmed over her milky white cheek. Lucretia mimicked his actions and selected a flower as well, and pressed it firmly against Jareth's lips.

"You must never forget me, either." She giggled playfully, but an odd tone to her voice implied more seriousness than she seemed to care to let on. Jareth chose to ignore this however, and closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of her fingertips on his mouth. As soon as her hand left his lips, he took it in his palm and held it loosely, her flesh warm at his touch. Silently, they both gazed up to the empty sky, taking in the vast blueness and watching the odd bird that glided past. The time had come for Jareth to admit why he had called Lucretia out.

"Lucy," he began, not knowing how to phrase the words.

"Lucretia!" she snapped. She hated shortened names with a passion. But, seeing she had shocked Jareth, she covered up her actions with a sweet giggle. "You know I hate that, Jareth!"

"Lucretia, I know you're making the Bond with me. Father told me." Jareth sighed; pulling his hand from Lucretia's and leaning forward, hiding his face from her baby blue eyes, framed by her long black eyelashes.

"You figured it out, huh? What about it?" her laugh not hiding her panic in her voice this time.

"Sorry Lucy, but I'm not making the bond." His mismatched eyes travelled to hers. "You're my best friend but that's it, and father – that is, I – think we shouldn't see each other for a bit. So your Bond fades." Lucretia's scream of frustration echoed throughout the Kingdom of Light where they were meeting, the fairies that had been watching taking off in fright.

"You're rejecting my feelings." Lucretia gasped, each of her heartbeats becoming so painful it was almost unbearable.

"Bonds are dangerous, Lucy. We shouldn't have allowed it to happen in the first place." Jareth replied, careful to say 'we' instead of 'you'. "And I haven't begun to create one in return so I think it's safe to say it's not going to happen." Jareth stood and faced away from her. He felt her weakly grab at his tight trousers, but he pretended not to notice and took a few steps away from her.

"Please. We can keep trying, maybe your Bond will start soon…" she whined pitifully.

"Goodbye, Lucretia." Jareth said firmly, and disappeared, teleporting back to the Goblin Realm.

Lucretia's heart felt like it was shattering into millions of tiny pieces. Her eyes burned, they felt like they were on fire. Worried that her beautiful eyes might be damaged, she crawled over to the pond and looked at her reflection in the water. Her gorgeous blue irises had faded to white and there was no sign of the pupil. Her Bond with Jareth was breaking.

Panicking, she threw her hands in the air and cast a spell for the Bond to never fade. This was dark magic, but she didn't care. She had to _have_ him.

"_He will be mine_." She hissed, as black storm clouds corrupted the clear sky and rain began to pelt down from the heavens.


	19. Chapter 19

In the shower, Sarah scrubbed her skin red raw. She hadn't had a shower for longer than she cared to think and the feel of the hot, steaming water soothed her senses and calmed her thoughts. The Dark Queen had to be stopped, of course. Jareth too, knew this… but he had made no attempt to do anything effective, in fear of putting Sarah at risk.

Well, if no one else was going to do anything about it, then she would.

Sarah lathered her hair with cheap shampoo, massaging her head with her fingertips. When all the bubbles had washed down the drain, and her fingertips were wrinkled like a prune, the water began to sputter and go cold so she hopped out and wrapped herself in a threadbare towel. Should she tell Jareth that there was no hot water left? Considering, she subconsciously wiped the mist off the mirror and raked her fingers through her matted hair. _No, he could do with cooling off anyway_. She giggled to herself. Holding up her towel, she pushed open the door which stopped with a soft _thunk_. The _thunk _was the door colliding with Jareth's head; he had fallen asleep waiting for Sarah to finish.

Praying he didn't wake up and open his eyes at the wrong time, Sarah stepped over him and pulled on the clean jeans and t-shirt Jareth had materialised for her. She braided her dripping locks so it was out of her face, and, ignoring the wet patch that her hair were forming on her back, peered curiously at Jareth. He really did look different when he was asleep. His arrogant smirk was gone and his cocky front he put up had disappeared. When he was sleeping, he wasn't the Goblin King. He was Jareth, just Jareth.

Sarah leaned in. she was now so close she could count his eyelashes, and feel his steady breaths on her skin. It made her hairs stand up, and before she knew what she was doing, she closed her eyes and kissed his slightly open lips. They were soft, warm and oh so inviting, and Sarah allowed herself to gently stroke his cheek with her fingers as they were joined, a pleasure she would never have treated herself to if Jareth were conscious. All too soon, Sarah pulled away, and licked her lips gently without opening her eyes. She savoured the moment.

"That, precious, was rather charming of you." Sarah's eyes snapped open and her cheeks flushed furiously when she saw Jareth beaming at her, his smile slightly crooked and his mismatched eyes flashing mischievously.

"How long have you been awake?" She groaned, her throat dry with embarrassment. Jareth sat up, leaning back on his hands, and crossed his legs.

"That bump on the head was a pleasant jolt from my slumber." He raised an eyebrow and rubbed his skull.

"Sorry about that. You shouldn't have been lying there, though." Sarah said defensively, determined not to feel bad.

"Maybe it wasn't one of my best ideas." Jareth sighed, before standing up so fast it looked like a blur. Sarah frowned and rose too, doing her best to look unimpressed.

"You should shower." She told him curtly, wiping a drop of water from her cheek. Jareth took a step towards her, closing the distance between them. All Sarah had to do was go on her tip toes and pull Jareth's head down and they would be kissing again.

"And why's that?" Jareth purred, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Sarah could smell peaches on his breath. "I'll just get dirty again afterwards." Sarah's eyes widened at Jareth suddenly being so straightforward. She opened her mouth to say something but Jareth silenced her by moulding his mouth against hers. Sarah's eyes were still open but she could see nothing but stars and feel nothing but Jareth's lips on hers. He had moved even closer during the kiss and his arms were wrapped around her, and Sarah's hands resting on his chest. He pulled out her hair tie and tangled his fingers in her chocolate locks, still wet from her shower.

Knowing what to expect this time, Sarah's lips moved in time with Jareth's, making it equally pleasurable for them both. But she hadn't anticipated what Jareth did next. His tongue flicked out and gently licked her bottom lip. Sarah hungrily did the same, eager for more…

And then the moment was ruined by Sarah's stomach rumbling. She hadn't eaten for almost two days and she was absolutely ravenous. Awkwardly, she pulled away, her cheeks flushed from the kiss. She was about to apologize but Jareth stopped her with a quick peck. He chuckled and headed over to the tiny kitchen unit, and turned on the hob and placed a frying pan on top. Six eggs appeared in his hand, and he juggled them similarly to how he did the crystals. He cracked them one by one into the pan and added milk. Sarah watched, fascinated. His movements were so graceful it was almost hypnotic.

While the eggs were cooking, Jareth searched the cupboards for plates and cutlery. He found what he needed, but grimaced at the grime that was sticking uninvitingly to the plastic and metal. He filled the sink and began to wash, and didn't notice Sarah sneaking up behind him, still watching.

"Can't you just magic them clean?" She asked, as she used a tea towel to dry what he'd washed.

"I could." He replied. "But it's not a good idea to rely on magic for everything. This way I can make sure the plates are thoroughly clean." This made sense to Sarah. Just because one could use magic, it didn't mean that one should use it for anything and everything. She liked how the power hadn't gone to Jareth's head, and he still used manual labour for little things like washing dishes. However, when she looked back over at the cooking eggs, she saw they were being stirred without Jareth touching them. She rolled her eyes. Maybe he did overuse magic a little, though.

They sat down in front of the television with their eggs (which were delicious, although Sarah wouldn't admit this) and ate in silence. There wasn't anything that needed to be said. Just sitting together was enough, and Sarah could almost feel bolts of electricity jumping between them.

It was a perfect moment, and it almost made Sarah regret what she was going to do that night.


	20. Chapter 20

Sarah had spent most of the day teaching Jareth how to use the television. It turns out, Goblin Kings have no need for electricity, and it was a pointless human invention. That's what he was muttering darkly under his breath, anyway.

However, as scornful of the television as he was, Jareth was still completely fascinated.

"How can you enjoy watching this?" Jareth had ridiculed, while they watched a rather unfortunate singer on X-factor. The day had passed by surprisingly quickly, anyhow. The sun had set early, due to it being midwinter, and it was about time to face that one bed.

After prising Jareth away from the TV, Sarah pulled him into the bedroom.

"How are we going to do this?" she demanded, glaring at him with what looked like disgust in her eyes.

"Do what?" Jareth smirked, feigning innocence, knowing exactly what she was talking about. He was taunting her for revenge from Sarah making him beg earlier. Sarah's palms began to sweat and her cheeks flooded with colour.

"You know. _This_. The fact there is one bed and two of us." She nodded her head slightly in the direction of the – in her mind – evil piece of furniture. She swore it was glaring at her. That was probably Jareth's doing.

"Sarah, precious." Sarah had been so fixated on the bed that she hadn't noticed Jareth slink up to her and wrap his arm round her shoulders. "Look at your left hand." Sarah did so, and the green jewel embedded in silver swirls winked back at her.

"Your point being?" Sarah hissed. She hated being engaged to him, it gave him a sort of power over her. Although she loved it too. Kind of.

"Our being engaged should be enough to sleep in the same bed. We've done it before, anyway." Jareth smiled down at her as she stared furiously up at him.

"That was an accident." Sarah pouted, knowing she was fighting a losing battle. She sighed. "I suppose you won't let me sleep on the sofa."

"Not a chance, my Queen."

Slumping her shoulders in defeat and away from Jareth's touch, Sarah slouched sulkily towards the bathroom to brush her teeth and get into pyjamas. As she closed the door, Jareth smiled to himself. He closed the moth-eaten curtains and clicked his fingers twice. The first time was to supply his Sarah with sleeping garments and a toothbrush, and the second time was to change into sleeping garments himself. Nothing but black boxers of course; Jareth preferred to wear even less to bed but he was certain that wouldn't go down to well with his Sarah. Well, she'd act like it didn't.

Jareth slid into bed, dead in the middle so whichever side Sarah slept on, she would have no choice but to be close to him. He was just making himself comfy when the bathroom door creaked open. Sarah's hair was loose and slightly messy, and she was wearing the short silk nightdress that Jareth had envisioned for her. She was covering her bare shoulders with a towel.

"Jareth you pervert! This is way too revealing and it'll ride up!" Sarah whispered venomously, tip-toeing towards the bed. Jareth grinned and cocked his head.

"That's what I was counting on, precious. No put down that awful thing and let me look at you." Jareth clicked his long fingers and the towel disappeared. The nightdress was creamy silk, edged with lace and stopped short between her knees and hips. Thin straps held it up on her slender shoulders, and the colour contrasted perfectly with her hair.

"Satisfied?" Sarah spat, crossing her arms.

"Very much so." Jareth purred, and he pulled back the covers so she could hop in next to him. Sarah eyed him suspiciously, and cautiously clambered in. she chose not to comment on what he was wearing. She didn't want him to think she had noticed anything about that… area.

Sarah lay as far as she could from Jareth, clinging on for dear life to the side of the bed to stop herself from falling out. Jareth watched her with an amused expression on his face. With one smooth movement, he rolled her over and pressed their lips together. He could feel her surprise and annoyance, yet reluctant happiness. He could taste the toothpaste on the corner of her lip that she hadn't wiped off. He could feel the softness of her dress under his fingers as he pressed against the small of her back, pulling her ever closer.

Sarah's fingers knotted tightly in Jareth's blonde, messy hair. She kissed him desperately, since she didn't know when a moment like this would arrive again and if Jareth would _want_ to kiss her if one did. Not after what she was going to do.

Jareth fell asleep a little while later, with his Sarah still in his arms. His breathing was steady, and every so often a soft snore would escape from his lips. Sarah had to bite back her giggles. How she would love to tease him; the Goblin King, snoring!

Sarah slowly removed her arms from around his neck and carefully prised his arms from around her. Jareth frowned slightly, but did not wake. Silently, she slid out of bed. She pulled on her jeans and the black jumper Jareth had been wearing. It smelled like him, but that wasn't why she took it. It was practical, she told herself sternly. One last look at Jareth (which turned out to be one last longing stare) and Sarah walked out the door. She hoped Jareth would understand. Knowing him, he probably wouldn't even notice, let alone read, the note she had left him on the coffee table.

She swallowed, and squared her shoulders. _No use chickening out now, Sarah. _She strode shakily out of the building, out into the cold streets outside. Fluffy white clouds of ice were floating gently down onto the road, covering it slightly with a soft blanket. Now all she had to do was get to the Queen.

"He had given her certain powers." Sarah muttered to herself, quoting the little red book titled Labyrinth that she knew cover to cover. She thought back to when she had met the King of Light; she shouldn't have been able to hear the flowers and nymphs. The Goblin King had given her, intentionally or not, _certain powers_. And Sarah had decided to put them to use.

What was it Jareth did when he teleported? She cursed herself for not paying more attention. She'd have to make it up as she went along.

Sarah closed her eyes tightly, and envisioned the Dark Queen as clearly as she could in her mind.

A few minutes passed, and just as Sarah was about to give up, the world jolted beneath her feet. It felt like all the matter in the universe was pushing against her, crushing her inwards until she was crumpled like a tin can.

Not soon enough, the awful feeling stopped and Sarah dared open her eyes. She wasn't in the street anymore, that was for sure. She was in what could be a beautiful garden; however, all the flowers were withered and the trees were grey and without a single leaf on them. The two suns seemed dimmer, and the sky was clear but it was an impossibly pale blue. There was a pathway that led to a magnificent set of black, formidable looking gates, at least three times as tall as Sarah.

Taking a deep breath, Sarah walked towards them. She was just about to attempt to open them, but they swung open of their own accord, as if impatient to usher her in. Albeit a little freaked out, Sarah walked as confidently as she could through, trying to ignore the vulture circling above her head.

…

Jareth woke up with a start. He'd had the most awful dream of Sarah being snatched up by a hideous, huge black bird. He twisted and turned in bed, searching for her, but she was gone. Panicking, he checked the bathroom, but there was still no sign of her.

Then he noticed the piece of paper on the coffee table. Slowly, dreading what it might say, Jareth unfolded it. His face fell at the words.

_I'll have to face her eventually._


	21. Chapter 21

As soon as Sarah took one step past the black, iron gates, the rotting plants flourished. Apples on trees seemed to swell from their once rotten and empty shells and almost burst from the sweet flesh under the skin. Flowers erupted from the ground, every colour of the rainbow, and the grass that grew under Sarah's toes (who had forgotten to wear shoes) was soft and springy, and a lush shade of bright green. The whole scene was completely beautiful, and Sarah was so astonished that she almost forgot why she was there in the first place. Remembering the vulture, she hesitantly stole a glance to the sky. The menacing creature was gone, and a pretty, baby blue butterfly was in its place, fluttering against the light breeze that was ruffling playfully through Sarah's hair.

Sarah looked down and gasped in surprise. Jareth's jumper and her jeans were gone, and were replaced by a white summer dress was that wrapped around her body, tight around the top and loose and flowing around her legs. Sarah felt a tinge of worry in the back of her mind. Why was everything so perfect if she was going to face an evil Queen, bent on killing her?

Brushing off her concern, Sarah began to walk up the hill to the white palace that was twinkling as if it were crafted from a thousand diamonds. The air was warm and inviting and the closer she got to the palace doors, the safer and more at home she felt. Why _did_ she have to defeat the Queen anyway? She'd never directly _said_ she wanted to kill Sarah. Jareth had probably blown the whole thing out of proportion, which was so like him after all.

Around ten minutes later, Sarah reached the huge doors. They were huge and silver and reflected everything, including Sarah's quite content expression.

A rotten, maggot filled apple fell from its gnarled branch, landing with a thud on the dry, barren ground, making Sarah jump, but she didn't turn around to look. Sarah gingerly raised her fingers to the mirror-like doors, which rippled at her touch as if they were liquid. The circling vulture screeched excitedly from above, but when Sarah peered upwards, all the saw was the baby blue butterfly flitting above her head. It had followed her the whole way there. Sarah smiled, and when she looked back in front of her, the doors were open, revealing a gorgeous lobby, where everything was made from white marble.

As soon as Sarah stepped inside, the spell was broken and the entire garden's beauty decomposed to its true festering state, and the mirror doors slammed conclusively behind her.

"Hello, Sarah." A soft voice claimed Sarah's attention. She looked around, and saw the blue butterfly flutter in a window on the second floor. It then transformed into a beautiful girl of around her age, perhaps a little younger, skipping down the grand staircase. She had creamy skin, and huge baby blue eyes. Her silky blonde curls bounced on her shoulders and her peach coloured dress swayed as she moved.

"Who are you?" Sarah asked, as the girl took her hand and smiled sweetly.

"I'm your mirror. My name's Lucretia." Lucretia's voice was beautiful, it was almost as if she sang the words.

"My mirror?" Sarah repeated. Something didn't feel quite right, her hands were clammy and her heart was beating hard. Whoever this girl was, she was in danger from the Queen, and Sarah had to get her out of there!

"You know. Your parallel self, in the magical world." Lucretia was stronger than she looked; she was dragging Sarah through the white palace as if she knew every twist and turn of the elaborate corridors.

"You're me? We look nothing alike," Sarah protested, confused and panicking as she couldn't tear her hand away from the girl's.

"I know right?!" Lucretia laughed, an almost mean tinge glossing over her sweet mask. "We're meant to be complete opposites. Blonde, brunette. Blue eyes, green eyes. Pretty, plain. Alive, _dead_." With the last word, Lucretia tore her fingers from Sarah's and whipped her hand in a circle. All the doors slammed shut in the room they had ended up in and a deafening _clank_ assured Sarah they were locked and bolted.

"What?!" Sarah gasped, cut short by the fist of dark magic throwing her across the room, slamming her into a wall.

"That's right, _precious_." Lucretia mocked cruelly, pacing delicately towards Sarah. "You need to be dead. And what better way to die than at the hands of your parallel self?" Lucretia reached out and grabbed a fistful of Sarah's hair, yanking her to her feet. Sarah cried out in pain, and kicked desperately out at Lucretia, who merely laughed and tossed Sarah back down again.

Sarah wiped a trickle of blood from her knee where she had caught it on the floor. She pulled herself to her feet and tried to summon the magic. It was hard. Harder than she thought it would be. Before she'd even had the chance to summon enough to shift a butterfly, Lucretia once again pelted her with dark forces, throwing Sarah back to the ground.

Sarah peered up at her attacker. Lucretia's hair was lightening, or to put it better, losing all the colour it once had. Her irises were paling and her pupils were growing smaller and smaller. She was growing taller and prettier and soon she had taken the form of someone Sarah recognised all too well.

"The Dark Queen." Sarah whispered. "You're my mirror?" Lucretia laughed evilly and pointed a long, pale finger at Sarah. She was instantly arching her back in indescribable pain, screaming for the one person who could help her.

"It's funny how my double, who should be my complete opposite, captured the heart of _my_ soul mate." Lucretia hissed, her voice dripping with venom, not moving her finger an inch.

"What?!" Sarah shrieked between screams. "Who?!"

"My Goblin King. You stole away my Goblin King!" The Dark Queen wailed, her dead looking eyes flashing with pure hatred. She lowered her shaking finger, tired from having used a lot of power. Sarah stumbled to her feet and attempted again to summon the magic. Lucretia laughed and flicked her thin wrist, sending Sarah flying. Sarah soon realised that it was no use, she was too strong.

She stood up on trembling legs and ran towards the Queen, who looked completely shocked. When close enough, Sarah pulled her arm back and punched Lucretia with all her strength in her perfect face.

There was a huge bang from outside the room; someone was trying to get through the door. The Queen took advantage of Sarah being distracted by the noise, and fixed her broken nose with a click of her fingers and drew a dagger out of the air. It was white, and encrusted with silver stones.

_Bang_. The door was starting to give. Lucretia raised the dagger above her head, her face contorted in rage.

_Bang_. "SARAH!" The door was almost open. Jareth's face could be seen through a hole he had made in it.

"Jareth!" Sarah and Lucretia shouted his name at the same time. Angered even further, the Dark Queen swiped the dagger across Sarah's face. The cut scorched Sarah's skin, and the smell of burning flesh filled the room.

_Bang_. Sarah backed away and traced her finger over the tender skin on her cheek. The cut had healed already, but she could feel a sore, jagged scar had been left behind. The Dark Queen approached Sarah again, and sliced at her blindly. Sarah ducked and squirmed out of reach, but a clump of her hair was caught by the blade. It floated down to the floor, where it then shrivelled and burned and turned grey

_Crash_. The door was down, Jareth ran into the room. He summoned a handful of crystals and one by one, they hit the Queen, enveloping her in white light.

The Queen shrieked, wiping away the white light easily, yet dropping the dagger. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. Trembling, she raised her left index finger and pointed it at Jareth. He instantly collapsed in agony, screaming.

"Stop it, stop it!" Sarah begged, crying helplessly. The Queen paid her no attention.

"If I can't have you, no one will." Lucretia said softly, not stopping Jareth's torture. As quietly as she could, Sarah crawled across the floor. The ground was shaking. She reached out towards the dagger.

"No, Sarah!" Jareth screamed between convulsions of pain. The Dark Queen glanced down and saw Sarah reaching for the dagger.

"Go on. Take it." She ordered with a slick smile. Jareth was pleading with his eyes for Sarah not to do it. There was blood dribbling down from his nose, mouth and ears. His bloodshot eyes were surrounded by bruises. Sarah clenched her teeth and grabbed the handle of the dagger.

It burned, literally melting through the layers of skin. Sarah screamed in pain and almost dropped it, only clinging on because she knew if she dropped it, the Queen had won. She tightened her grip further, trying not to faint when the metal of handle met her bone. She could hear the sickening sizzle of her flesh. She stood up and plunged the dagger through where the Queen's heart would have been.

If she had one.


	22. Chapter 22

_SORRY IT'S SUCH A SHORT CHAPTER! (;_;)_

There was an odd hissing sound as the Dark Queen dissolved into the air. Her body crumbled around the dagger that had been plunged into her chest, her perfect mouth stretched into a silent scream as her vocal chords disintegrated. Within mere seconds, Lucretia was no more but a pile of dust, a dagger and a silver tiara.

"Sarah." Jareth's voice startled Sarah, who had been staring at the space where the Queen was moments ago. "How's your hand?" Sarah glanced down at her palm. I was a mess, mangled flesh dripping crimson blood. She raised her fingers of her non-injured hand to her face, and sure enough, the ugly scar was still present. But she was alive, so was Jareth, and for that she was thankful.

"It's fine." She smiled, lying through her teeth and niftily tucking her gory digits behind her back. She tried to ignore the angry throb of pain as she walked over to Jareth, who had stood up from his crumpled position on the floor. He wiped some blood from his face. The Goblin King raised an eyebrow at her obvious twist from the truth, but he said nothing and bowed his head to kiss her. Sarah pulled herself up on her toes and their lips met for the briefest of seconds before the shock, blood loss and exhaustion overwhelmed her and her world faded to darkness.

Jareth bent his knees to catch her, trying not to flinch when her hand – if you could still call it that – swung underneath her body and her blood flicked across the floor. He knew she had been lying about the severity of the wound, but this was another matter. She barely had any hand left. Jareth lifted her and teleported them back to the Goblin Realm. Much of the castle had been destroyed by the Dark Queen's rampage, but Goblins were already working on rebuilding it and most of it was unharmed.

Jareth took Sarah to his room, and laid her on the bed. He didn't flutter an eyelid when her blood seeped through the white silk. Jareth took her mangled hand in his, and poured his magic into it. He rarely used his powers to heal wounds. He could feel years of his life being torn away from him as he concentrated. But Jareth didn't care. All he cared about was healing Sarah.

New muscle stretched over Sarah's exposed bone, and severed veins reattached. A red, soft layer of skin covered the wound. With a gasp, Jareth let go. She'd always have a scar but she still had a hand left, which was something. Exhausted, Jareth collapsed on the bed next to his love. What Sarah had done was incredible, it almost didn't seem real. King Oberon would have to be notified of what had happened, but that could wait until tomorrow. For now, Jareth just wanted to sleep.

He rolled on his side to face Sarah. Her hair was a mess, she was splattered with blood and her new scar on her cheek stood out against her pale skin, but in that moment, to him she was perfect.

"Jar-eth," Sarah mumbled in her sleep. Jareth smiled peacefully, his eyes now closed.

"I'm here, Sarah." He murmured, and took her newly healed hand and let the shores of sleep wash over him.


	23. Chapter 23

_Ah ur they finally sleep together so don't read if you don't want to see, I wasn't originally going to write this scene but some people asked so I did, sorry it's a bit awkward but I hope its ok! Please review as always!_

The sound of Jareth's soft, content snores awoke Sarah from her slumber. She blearily rubbed her eyes with her right hand, and sat bold upright when she noticed it was completely healed. The skin was slightly pinker than it was originally but other than that, one wouldn't know it had been injured in the first place. She peered curiously over at Jareth, still sleeping like a log. He had bags under his eyes, and his wounds were still prominent. He must have used his magic to heal her and completely forgotten about himself.

"Morning, precious." Jareth had awoken. He propped himself up on his elbows, letting a yawn escape his lips.

"Jareth… you're hurt." Sarah said, a pang of guilt coursing through her.

"It's nothing I can't deal with." Jareth smirked, cocking his head, stubborn as always. Sarah rolled her eyes at him. Her breath caught in her throat as Jareth suddenly leaned in and yanked her head towards his, enveloping her parted lips in a hungry kiss. Sarah could taste the coppery flavour of blood that still lingered on Jareth's tongue as he licked her bottom lip. She mirrored his actions, causing a growl to rumble from the back of his throat and he bit sharply down her lip, so their blood mixed and became one. Jareth curled his fingers at the base of her neck, stroking her chocolate waterfall that was her hair. Their lips were red and swollen, and just as it was starting to hurt, Jareth pulled back and rested his forehead against hers, breathing heavily.

"I love you, Sarah Williams." He mumbled, rubbing his thumb over her cheek, tracing her new scar. Sarah flushed under his touch.

"I love you too." Sarah whispered reluctantly, embarrassed at the situation. Jareth kissed her forehead and breathed in her sweet scent.

"You're safe now." Jareth lifted her chin so their eyes met. Sarah allowed a small smile to take over her lips. Safe was good. "And so we can begin to plan our wedding." He smirked down at her and she shrieked at him in annoyance.

…

"All done, Miss Sarah." A small female goblin told Sarah excitedly as she backed away to admire her work. Sarah glanced nervously at the mirror in front of her.

"Do I look okay?" she asked, turning this way and that, trying to see herself from all angles.

"Of course, King Jareth won't be able to keep his hands off you!" Sarah giggled and gave the goblin a quick hug. Her tummy flipped with excitement. "Just in time, too, shall we go?"

Sarah nodded and let the goblin lead her by the hand, which was sweaty and trembling with nerves. They walked together out of the small dressing room and down to the ballroom. The doors were closed, and soft, soothing music could be heard playing inside.

"Just breathe." The goblin winked at Sarah.

"I think I've forgotten how to." Sarah whispered in reply, just as the doors swung open.

Jareth raised his eyes to see his Sarah. Her pale skin seemed to be glowing, and her cheeks were flushing red as always. Her green eyes sparkled and her long brown curls cascaded down her back, white ribbons twisted in the odd lock. She was wearing a white corset over a long, flowing white dress that flared outwards at her waist. The material glittered slightly as she moved. A white veil partially covered her face. He took a sharp breath inwards. He had always known Sarah was a very attractive woman but in that moment she was in his eyes, the very definition of the word beautiful.

He straightened his posture as she walked slowly towards him. His heart was thumping hard to his annoyance, more human emotions that he didn't care to feel. The hall was crowded but as soon as their eyes met, it seemed like they were the only two people that existed in the world. Sarah couldn't hold back the smile the poked insistently at her lips, and she looked downwards in attempt of hiding her goofy grin from Jareth's teasing gaze. She stumbled slightly over the hem of her dress, causing a chuckle to be heard from the Goblin King's direction. She would get him back later.

Jareth took her hand in his as soon as she was in touching distance. He greedily took her all in, eyes merely skimming over the scar on her cheek. He didn't even notice it anymore. He cocked his head and smirked.

"Impressive." He remarked under his breath. Sarah stuck her tongue out in response, making his smile widen, revealing his pointed teeth. Jareth was wearing a white poet shirt and black breeches, and of course his crescent necklace and boots. Sarah noticed he had his riding crop tucked behind him.

King Oberon began the speech about the two lovers before him. The whole hall chattered in excitement, there hadn't been a royal wedding for over two thousand years.

"I swear to love, fear and be a slave to her." Jareth promised as he slid a thin golden ring onto Sarah's third finger of her left hand.

"I swear to love, fear and be a slave to him." Sarah repeated, not taking her eyes off Jareth's as she returned the action and slid an identical ring onto Jareth's third finger of his left hand. She still wasn't sure about the vows that Jareth had insisted upon, but he said they were fitting. Sarah wasn't too keen on the idea of being a slave to him.

"You may now kiss." King Oberon smiled warmly. Jareth chuckled as Sarah eagerly raised herself onto her toes to press her lips against his. She could feel him smiling against her mouth. The hall burst into cheer as Sarah pulled back in embarrassment. Jareth winked and scooped her up in his arms in a princess hold, and teleported them out of sight.

…

Their lips were already attached as they arrived in Jareth's quarters, and didn't even bother to pull away once their feet touched solid ground, both equally desperate to not break the kiss. Jareth raised his fingers to Sarah's curls, knotting his fingers at her roots as they slowly made their way towards the bed. He pulled her veil off her hair and threw it to the floor. Sarah could feel her stomach flip and she swore Jareth must have been able to hear her heart as it was beating so hard.

A shiver travelled down her spine as Jareth's fingers left her hair and traced down her back, coming to a stop at her waist where he pinched slightly at her curves. Sarah unintentionally let out a sharp breath as the back of her legs hit the side of the bed, which Jareth laid her upon, still not taking his lips from hers.

"You've kept me waiting for this for too long, precious." He growled against her neck as he covered it in kisses. Sarah went pink and opened her mouth to reply, probably to call Jareth a rude word, but she was cut short as Jareth's mouth once again sought out hers. This kiss was hungry and needy, and Sarah would have thought he was in a hurry if his hands weren't moving painfully slowly over her body. They were moving up from her hips, travelling behind her to undo her corset. She arched her back so he could reach the ribbons, prying a satisfied purr from Jareth.

Jareth skilfully undid the bows and tore the corset from her chest, flinging it from the bed and out of the way. Sarah hadn't even realised her own hands were subconsciously gliding under Jareth's shirt as they kissed. She wanted it off, but didn't want to separate her lips from his. Realising her intent, Jareth ripped his shirt down the middle and Sarah pulled it off his arms. Jareth's bare skin practically glowed in the dim light of the room; it was smooth yet slightly rough under Sarah's inquisitive touch.

Sarah put it down to instinct as she ended the kiss, but didn't take her lips from his skin. She kissed his neck, breathing in his scent. Nervously and curiously, she ran her tongue over his skin a little higher than his collar bone. Just as she expected, he tasted deliciously of peaches. She rolled her eyes slightly at the irony. Jareth shuddered slightly under her mouth, and pulled her face up to his. He looked her dead in the eyes before kissing her once more, and reaching down to undo her dress.

Her dress took ages to put on but Jareth manages to pull it from her body in mere seconds. Normally, Sarah would have felt embarrassed but Jareth didn't give her a chance to, instantly roaming his hands over her soft skin as he kissed her thoroughly and insistently. His hands stroked gently at the sides of her breasts. Sarah moaned automatically, and sucked gently on his bottom lip. Her hands tugged down at Jareth's breaches. He smirked victoriously against her lips, a knowing chuckle shaking against Sarah's mouth. He kicked off his breeches once she had managed to get them down to his knees, leaving them in their underwear.

Jareth pulled out of the kiss so he could look at her. Sarah's cheeks were flushed, but she didn't seem embarrassed. Her lips were swollen. She was wearing white lacy underwear to blend in with her dress, and Jareth growled in approval at the garter hugging her left thigh. He slid down and kissed her leg before biting at the white material before pulling it down her leg with his teeth. Sarah's skin was covered in goose bumps by the time Jareth had slid it over her foot. As he slid back up to meet her lips again, he traced her leg, stomach and chest with kisses, dragging a content sigh from Sarah's mouth.

His hands snaked around Sarah's back as he easily unhooked her bra strap. Sarah flushed as she tugged shyly at Jareth's boxers. He smirked slyly at her, and cocked his head as if to ask her what she wanted.

"Off." She whispered firmly. Jareth's smirk widened as he pulled them down, reattaching his lips to hers. Sarah could feel his erection against her. She slid her fingers down and felt it, full of wonder. Jareth purred against her touch and hungrily bit on her neck, reaching down to remove her knickers.

Sarah shivered with the excitement of feeling Jareth against her completely bare skin. Jareth reached down and touched her gently. Sarah's body shook in response, a moan filling her mouth as he reached inside, readying her for her first time.

He looked in her eyes, asking her a silent question. Sarah nodded decisively, her face set. Jareth leaned down and kissed her as he carefully slid into her. She gasped in surprise at the pain and intrusion but it was soon replaced by a feeling of intense pleasure.

"I love you." Jareth whispered, and he made love to her until the world fell down.


End file.
